In Kerala, the seasonal fishing ban was introduced in 1988 and has been in effect for the past 25 years. According to the report of the committee appointed to evaluate fish wealth/impact of trawling ban on Kerala coast, though the seasonal fishing ban had high impact in the initial years (for 10 years), it did not sustain. The report adds that though the total landings, excluding the oil sardine landings, had a shift immediately after the introduction of the seasonal fishing ban, this positive peak persisted only for a short period (nine years) after which, the catches came down and reached a steady level from the year 2000, but not to the level before the implementation of the ban.
The two significant interventions which occurred almost in the same period, namely the seasonal ban and introduction of outboard crafts, had a direct impact on total landings excluding oil sardine.
