MAYILADUTHURAI: The Supreme Court order to allow purse seine net fishing has invoked mixed response from the fisherfolk communities in the coastal delta. While those favouring the order expressed dissatisfaction over the condition under the order which allows fishing only twice a week, another section said they would appeal against the verdict.
As per the order, purse seine net fishing is allowed under the condition that fisherfolk should cast nets only between 8 am and 6 pm on Mondays and Thursdays. The court also ruled that the purse seine net users should fish only within the Exclusive Economic Zone but outside territorial waters. It is to be noted that 0 to 12 nm is reserved for traditional fishers, while purse seine fishing is allowed between 12 nm and 200 nm.
D Kumar, a fisher representative from Poompuhar, said, “We welcome the verdict. However, the conditions set by the Supreme Court are not favourable since it would take several hours to cross territorial waters. We also need time to search for sardines. It is not possible to fish and return within a day.”
P Rajendiran, a fisher representative from Tharangambadi, said, “The fisheries department and the law enforcement agencies would not be constantly monitoring the territorial waters. Purse seine net fishers will eventually exploit the fish resources.”
The state government had banned purse seine fishing in the early 2000s. Despite the ban, fisherfolk in Nagapattinam, Mayiladuthurai and Cuddalore have pursued purse seine fishing, sparking clashes between fisherfolk community over the years.
Dr P Jawahar, a senior researcher from the Tamil Nadu Dr J Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, said, “Purse seine net fishing is an unsustainable practice since the nets trap all the breeding and migratory stock of fishes. A purse seine net snatches what a hundred traditional fishers could catch, impacting fish resources.”
What purse seine is and how it works
A purse seine is a large wall of netting deployed around an entire area or school of fish. The seine has floats along the top line with a lead line threaded through rings along the bottom. Once a school of fish is located, a skiff encircles the school with the net. The lead line is then pulled in, “pursing” the net closed on the bottom, preventing fish from escaping by swimming downward