Licence, permit of fishing vessel ‘Beo Hingis’ cancelled

 The Fisheries Department on Friday imposed a fine and cancelled the fishing licence of  rogue fishing boat ‘Beo Hingis’ after it was intercepted at the Thoppumpady harbour on Monday.
Updated on
2 min read

KOCHI: The Fisheries Department on Friday imposed a fine and cancelled the fishing licence of  rogue fishing boat ‘Beo Hingis’ after it was intercepted at the Thoppumpady harbour on Monday. ‘Beo Hingis’ figured in the Illegal Unreported Unregulated Fishing (IUU) list released by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC). 

‘Beo Hingis’, which was sold by Kanyakumari native P Nasiyane to  Fort Kochi resident Siraj, was intercepted by  Marine Enforcement Wing patrol  unit. The Fisheries Department  Deputy Director summoned P Nasiyane and the boat’s crew members to its office here on Friday. After hearing them, it was decided to slap a fine of `1,15,000. The fishing licence and permit of the boat have been suspended. 
“Though the boat has been released to the owner, the Marine Enforcement Wing has issued strict orders which bar the boat from engaging in fishing activities till the time permission is granted for the same,” said K G Shibu Kumar, Inspector, Marine Enforcement Wing .

‘Beo Hingis’ was included in the wanted list after it was found fishing in  banned British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT). ‘Pacific Marlin’, the British patrol vessel, had intercepted ‘Beo Hingis’ near Diego Garcia for fishing in an ecologically sensitive area a few years ago.

Beo Hingis is a gill-netting boat usually used for fishing in freshwaters and estuaries. “Various agencies, including the Navy, the Indian Coast Guard,  Coastal police and those in other states had been on the lookout for the boat. Nasiyane of Thomas Nagar, Thuthur, Kanyakumari, had recently sold the boat to Siraj, a Fort Kochi resident,”  Shibu Kumar said.To avoid detection, the boat was rechristened ‘Arogya Annai’ and its engine number was also changed. It arrived at Thopumpady harbour  late at  night to avoid the agencies from tracking down the vessel.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com