KOCHI: Around 3,600 mechanised fishing boats including longliners will set off for sea on Sunday midnight as the the 52-day trawl ban which started on June 9 will end on July 31. The workers were busy making preparations for the fishing expedition, filling diesel and storing ice blocks in the fishing boats on Saturday. However, the alert issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday banning fishing activities from Sunday to Wednesday has caused concern among the fishing boat owners.
“The frequent weather warnings issued by the IMD banning boats from venturing into the sea have been affecting our livelihood. After Cyclone Ockhi in 2017, when they failed to issue a timely alert, the IMD has been issuing frequent weather warnings imposing a blanket ban on fishing activities. Rough sea conditions will not affect distant sea fishing boat as it is stable and has good draft,” said All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal.
“In 2020, we were allowed to go for fishing expedition only on 53 days. In 2021, we got only 52 fishing days. This year, fishing was banned for 18 days during April-May period. We will start for fishing on Sunday night if the fisheries department, Navy and Coast Guard don’t intervene,” he said. The boatmen as hopeful of a good catch during the initial days after the ban period and the rains have brought nutrients to the coastal sea which will attract fish schools.
Another problem is the presence of fibre boats from Tamil Nadu that were found scouring Kerala’s coastal waters during the trawl ban period. “The catch during the initial days will be an indication of the indiscriminate fishing by these fibre boats. Though the government banned the fibre boats from Tamil Nadu, we have seen many boats in the coastal sea,” said Joseph Xavier.