MANGALURU: Several fishing boats from Mangaluru were allegedly attacked by fishermen from Tamil Nadu in the last two months over ribbon fish or Pambole fish catch in the deep sea, sparking an interstate dispute.
Chethan Bengre, a fishermen leader, said due to dwindling catch, fishermen often opt to catch ribbon fish, which is used in meal, in the deep sea. “Several fishing boats from Mangaluru were attacked and damaged by fishermen in Tamil Nadu. Fishing nets, vessels and other material in the boats were thrown into the water without any provocation. Many fishing boats suffered losses running into lakhs of rupees. We have brought it to the notice of central fisheries minister and state minister Mankal Vaidya,” he added.
“Many fishermen from Tamil Nadu and other states indulge in deep sea fishing in our area, but we never objected to it. There are no restrictions beyond 12 nautical miles. When I met the central fisheries minister, I requested him to come up with ‘one nation, one law’ for all coastal states for fishing to resolve such issues. There should be no restrictions in the deep sea,” he said.
A fishing boat owner said that after they were attacked by Tamil Nadu fishermen, boats from Mangaluru have stopped venturing into the deep sea, especially near Kanyakumari and other places.
“Several boats from Mangaluru were attacked in November and December. Though fishermen are under loss because of dwindling fish catch, they are not venturing into the sea near Kerala and Tamil Nadu,” he said.
Siddaiah D, Joint Director of Fisheries, Mangaluru, told The New Indian Express that many fishing boat owners alerted the department about the attacks. “Now, the Karnataka government has taken it up with the Tamil Nadu government. We have urged the TN police to take action against those fishermen who attacked our boats. Mankal Vaidya has also assured us that he will hold a meeting with fisheries ministers of all coastal states and fishermen union leaders to come up with a law to protect the interests of the fishermen,” he said.