Restricted fishing gets lukewarm response

The fisheries department has put 383 fishermen in Thiruvananthapuram and 13 in Kollam under quarantine after they returned from fishing during the lockdown period.

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The restricted permission for fishing has failed to evoke much response among traditional fishermen. Closing down of ice factories and transportation challenges amid the lockdown have forced many to stay on shore. However, those who returned from fishing in the district and Kollam were faced with enthusiastic retail buyers who came from far-off locations defying travel restrictions.

“Only a couple of boats ventured into the sea from every fishing village. The current restrictions have led to a big dip in sales,” said Jackson Pollayil, general secretary, Kerala Swatantra Matsyathozhilali Federation (KSMTF).The government allowed fishing, through an order issued on March 30, on the condition that there shouldn’t be any crowding at landing centres. Instead of conducting a public auction, the price of the catch has to be predetermined by the fishing cooperative society in the locality along with officers of the fisheries department, stated the order.

According to the fishermen, the confusion over fixing prices is a major disadvantage for them. “We were told to avoid fish landing centre to prevent crowding and to take the catch to fishing villages instead. However, we do not get enough business there,” said Pollayil. There are 222 fishing villages in the state, of which 80 are in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam.

The reference price for purchase is determined based on last week’s rate. A Matsyafed officer said there was good demand for fish due to shortage. “The restrictions are reasonable. The government gave the permission to help the community,” he said. Matsyafed has started selling fish in limited quantity through its outlets in Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam from Tuesday. The outlet in Ernakulam is selling frozen fish to meet the demand.

Leaders of the fishermen community have demanded the government to lift the restrictions on fishing. T Peter, general secretary, National Fishworkers Forum, said the lockdown had affected the livelihood of fishers and it was creating social unrest in the community. Fishing villages in Maryanadu have decided to restrict the number of fishers venturing into the sea to one third of the total boat strength. The fisheries department has put 383 fishermen in Thiruvananthapuram and 13 in Kollam under quarantine after they returned from fishing during the lockdown period.

396 fishermen under quarantine
The fisheries department has put 383 fishermen in Thiruvananthapuram and 13 in Kollam under quarantine after they returned from fishing during the lockdown period.

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