Trawlers continue to fish in prohibited zones, NGT warns of stringent action

This comes at a time when Olive Ridley turtles are dying en masse along the Chennai coast.
Trawler Boats spotted close to the shores of Edward Elliot's beach on Wednesday afternoon. The trawler nets have greatly contributed to the alarming number of Olive Ridley turtle deaths this year.
Trawler Boats spotted close to the shores of Edward Elliot's beach on Wednesday afternoon. The trawler nets have greatly contributed to the alarming number of Olive Ridley turtle deaths this year.Photo | Express, Kevin Nashon.
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CHENNAI: At 3.30 pm on Wednesday, four trawl boats were spotted fishing parallel to Thiruvanmiyur beach. The vessels were clearly visible to the naked eye, indicating that they were operating within 2-3 km from the shore. Around noon, trawlers were spotted off Neelankarai beach within a similar distance.

This comes at a time when Olive Ridley turtles are dying en masse along the Chennai coast. The southern bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), which has taken suo motu cognizance of the issue based on a TNIE report, on Wednesday warned that it will order a complete ban on trawling during the nesting season if the relevant laws are not complied with.

The Tamil Nadu Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, 1983, prohibits fishing by mechanised vessels within five nautical miles of identified nesting and breeding sites during the nesting season.

In 2017, State Fisheries Department submitted a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) before the Madras High Court that reiterated the ban on trawlers, motorised country crafts and those using mechanised fishing techniques within five nautical miles from the coast around the potential nesting and breeding season of sea turtles (i.e. January to April of every year) in the coastal areas of Chennai, Kancheepuram, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Nagapattinam, Ramanathapuram, Thoothukudi and Kanniyakumari districts except motorised country crafts having engine capacity of 10 horsepower or below subject to the condition that ray fish nets shall not be used.

However, in reality, the rules are frequently violated. The State government pleader D Shanmuganathan told the NGT bench that draft replies from forest and fisheries departments indicate turtles died due to trawling, but sought more time to submit a detailed report.

Referring to a TNIE article, the bench, comprising Justice Pushpa Sathyanarayana and expert member K Satyagopal, said the fisheries department has to answer why it did not strictly enforce the regulations and the mandatory use of Turtle Excluder Devices by trawlers. "If this is the case, we will ban trawling during nesting season," the bench warned and posted the case for January 31.

S Aparanjeetha, a resident of Thiruvanmiyur, said she saw 4-5 trawler boats operating close to the shore and this is a regular sighting for the last two weeks. "This year, I see too many trawlers near the shore, which was not the case in the previous years. I don't know why," she added

K Bharathi, president of the South Indian Fishermen Welfare Association, told TNIE, it is true that trawlers are violating the rules and urged the State government to take a firm stance on bottom trawling, considering the impact on the nesting season this year. He said that though bottom trawling is not a sustainable practice, the government continues to provide diesel subsidies to these vessels despite their violations and ignoring the traditional fishermen.

A social media post by Tree Foundation, an NGO working for turtle conservation, a trawler fisherman was seen speaking on camera about how Olive Ridleys were getting entangled, dying and damaging their nets each time. He is heard saying the fishermen just dump the turtles, some alive and others dead, back into the sea.

It is said that Olive Ridleys are migrating in large numbers and are congregating closer to the shores where there is good shrimp and fish catch. Turtles love shrimps and trawlers are also chasing the catch near the shore as the deep sea has been rough due to prolonged north-east monsoon.

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