The marine fisheries sector in the State looks set to enter a stormy phase reminiscent of the early 1980s with the Union government issuing an order on April 10 imposing “a uniform ban on fishing by all fishing vessels in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone.”
“We will oppose the ban tooth and nail,” said T. Peter of the National Fish Workers’ Forum. He called the ban “unscientific” and a “violation of traditional fishing rights.”
Issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries under the Union Ministry of Agriculture, the order said fishing activities on the West Coast of India, including Lakshadweep Islands, would come under the ban for 61 days from June 1 to July 31. The ban is effective on the East Coast, including Andaman and Nicobar Islands, between April 15 and June 14.
The Centre had trampled over the rights of the States over fisheries, said Charles George of the Matsya Thozhilali Aikyavedi, representing fishermen manning outboard and inboard engine vessels. He said the order would lead to confrontation with the establishment as fishermen were readying to oppose the ban without compromise.
Joseph Xaiver Kalappurackal of the Kerala Fishing Boat Operators’ Association said the Centre had succumbed to pressure from foreign and joint venture trawlers, which still were out of the purview of the fishing ban. About 50 per cent of the fish landed on Kerala coast is caught during the monsoon season and a total ban on fishing boats during the peak season would have serious social impact as cheap fish would not be available to the largely fish-eating population of the State.
He said that the economic impact of the ban would be enormous too for the fishermen.
