THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Fisheries Department has decided to strictly enforce the restrictions on pelagic net fishing within the state territory. Though the state government had prohibited the use of pelagic nets within 12 nautical miles, boats from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have been allegedly using them within and outside the restricted zone. As the Central Government was yet to enact a law on this, the boat owners are using this as a loophole to bypass the state restriction.
According to the Marine Stewardship Council, pelagic trawls are generally much larger than bottom trawls and can be towed by one or two boats (pairing trawling). They are designed to target fish in the mid - and surface water. These are cone-shaped large nets reaching up to a width of 240 metres width and a depth of 160 metres.
The use of pelagic nets had resulted in a confrontation between the traditional fish workers and boat workers as the former allege that this kind of fishing would result in the destruction of fish colonies.
In the meeting held on Thursday in the minister’s chamber it was also decided to confiscate the boats and vehicles which carrying pelagic nets. At the meet, the Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) pointed out that the boat owners from Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka were using the pelagic nets in the open sea.
The boat owners, however, said that they were fishing in the 24 nautical mile area under the Centre’s jurisdiction and there were no laws preventing them from using this particular trawl net. But, the KSMTF representatives said that the boats using the pelagic nets could be confiscated when they go through the waters of the restricted zone.