CHENNAI: The Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) has allowed establishment of aquaculture hatcheries within 200m from the High Tide Line (HTL), despite reports of coastal pollution and objections by the fishermen.
The decision was taken at CAA’s 65th meeting held last month and an official order was issued recently. “CAA has resolved to permanently exempt establishment of coastal aquaculture hatcheries within 200m from the HTL from the provision of subsection 8(a) of Section 13 of CAA Act 2005, to facilitate the operation of coastal aquaculture hatcheries,” the order, accessed by Express, reads.
V Kripa, Member Secretary of CAA, said “Considering the need for seawater access for operation of coastal aquaculture hatcheries, the CAA has permitted establishment of coastal aquaculture hatcheries along the coast of India by according exemption. Now, to redress the apprehensions, the CAA in its 65th meeting in exercise of the powers conferred on this Authority resolved to permanently exempt the establishment of coastal aquaculture hatcheries within 200m from the HTL.”
Recently, in reply to an RTI application filed by environmental activist Pooja Kumar of Coastal Resource Centre, Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority and Department of Environment confirmed that between 2005 and 2019, they have neither issued nor discussed in any of the meetings regarding granting
CRZ clearance to shrimp hatcheries.
The Coastal Resource Centre has also published a 33-page report titled “Below the Radar” based on site verification, according to which 62 of the 65 hatcheries were operational within 200m of the HTL in blatant violation of the provisions in the CAA Act and none of the hatcheries have valid Consent to Establish or Operate under Water and Air Acts. The worst is four hatcheries are sitting on ecologically sensitive CRZ 1A areas (sand dunes).