MANGALURU: Severe shortage of commercial LPG cylinders has forced fishing boats on the Mangaluru coast to partly halt operations.
Mangaluru Fishing Harbour hosts over 1,500 vessels, primarily purse seiners and trawlers. Mechanised boat owners from Mangaluru said that due to poor catch, many boats have already been forced to stay ashore, and the shortage of cylinders has worsened their situation.
According to the boat owners, the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been stopped for the past three days, and soon, fishing operations will come to a complete halt. Sameer, a boat owner, said, “We pay Rs 1,800 per 19kg commercial cylinder.
The cylinder suppliers have all of a sudden informed us that there is no supply. Alternatives to cylinders are kerosene stoves, but since their usage is minimal, they are not available in sufficient quantities. There is no adequate supply of kerosene,” he said. They also said that the price in the black market has gone up to Rs 5,000.
“How are we going to survive for the remaining two months of the fishing season? During the monsoon, we will be unemployed as there will be a fishing ban,” another boat owner said. He also requested the government to direct dealers to supply cylinders to fishing boats.
Usually, the fishing crew on board relies on cylinders to cook three times a day during their trip. A purse seine boat accommodates about 35 to 40 workers, and each deep-sea fishing trip lasts for about six to 10 days, which requires a minimum of five cylinders per trip. However, trawl boats require fewer crew but require a minimum of three cylinders.
Mohan Naik, a labourer who works on the boat, said that one cylinder can last for only two to three days. “If we fail to catch fish, we have to extend our voyage. But, as we had a limited supply of cylinders, we had to return with fewer catches. Low fish catch will result in a shortage of seafood and a spike in fish prices,” he said.
After returning to the harbour, the workers usually stay on the boat as they are not provided with any separate accommodation. “Due to cylinder shortage, as of now, we are depending on hotel food. But we cannot afford it for long,” said a worker.