KOCHI: With the 52-day-long trawling ban season set to start on Thursday midnight, mechanised fishing boat owners have threatened to violate the ban as fibre boats from Tamil Nadu are allowed to catch fish in Kerala waters.
“During the ban period in 2021, around 1,000 fibre boats from Tamil Nadu had arrived in Kerala and they were allowed to catch huge quantities of fish. They were using banned nets and were catching demersal fish that are caught by mechanised boats.
This time we have informed the authorities that if the Tamil Nadu boats are allowed to fish in Kerala waters we will violate the ban and start fishing operations,” said All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalappurakal.
Fisheries Minister Saji Cherian had convened a meeting to discuss the ban, where the boat owners demanded that the annual ban should be called off as it has not helped improve marine resources over years. They demanded strict action against Tamil Nadu boats entering Kerala’s coastal waters during trawling ban period. “The minister has assured to review the trawling ban next year and to initiate action against Tamil Nadu boats,” said Joseph Xavier.
Fisheries department assistant director P Aneesh said the allegations raised by boat owners is true. “Some traders in Kochi have been bringing fibre boats from Tamil Nadu to fish in Kerala’s coastal waters. According to the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act we have to give permission for country crafts. In 2021 we had denied them permission, but if they approach the court we will have no other option. However district collectors have the right to ban boats from other states,” he said.