KOCHI: A one-day workshop organised by the Traditional Fishers Coordination Committee here on Tuesday, to address problems in the fisheries sector, discussed recommendations of the expert committee on the new Kerala Marine Fisheries Regulation Act (KMFRA).
The workshop, held at the Centre for Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), discussed the safety norms to be followed by traditional fishermen, in the wake of the recent accident involving a fishing boat and a cargo ship off the Kerala coast.
CMFRI principal scientist Sunil Mohammed said the committee had recommended that all fishing boats be fitted with safety equipment, including signal light, signal flag, GPS system, EPIRB/SART, lifebuoy, life-jacket, fire extinguisher and automatic identification system (AIS).
The committee had also recommended five-day training sessions for fishermen and 10-day sessions for ‘sranks’.The workshop recommended that traditional fishermen be trained in navigation at sea.