Tamil Nadu: Fishermen to venture into sea from Wednesday

Fishermen from Chinna Muttom, Kanniyakumari and Arogyapuram on the east coast of Kanniyakumari district are gearing up to venture into the sea for fishing from Wednesday. The 45-day fishing ban period ended on the midnight of Sunday. Fishermen from these three coastal villages undertook maintenance and painting of their boats during the ban period which began on April 15. Ahead of venturing into the sea on Wednesday, the fishermen would offer a mass prayer at the Alankara Upakara Matha Church in Kanniyakumari and inside Chinna Muttom fishing harbour on Tuesday evening. As many as 275 mechanised boats will venture into the sea in the early morning of Wednesday and return at night. S. Rubert Jothi, Deputy Director (in charge), Fisheries Department, told The Hindu that the fishermen should start venturing into the sea from 5 a.m. and return to the shore before 9 p.m. the same day. The department would ensure that they followed the rules of the Tamil Nadu Marine Fisheries Regulation Act in toto.

Subramaniam, Assistant Director, said that since out of the 275 boats, only 10 got themselves registered with the department through online, they would only get the subsidised diesel of 1,500 litres in six equal instalments every month. Fr. Churchill, general secretary, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity, told The Hindu that fishermen were not able to adhere to the regulations, as they were drafted way back in 1983 and had become obsolete. They should be amended as per present conditions. As a majority of the fishermen were illiterate, they could not identify a boat in distress in the mid-sea as they were supposed to maintain a uniform colour pattern while painting their boats. The fishermen were denied online registration facility if the length of their boats exceeded 60 feet and the boat engine’s horse power exceeded 93 HP. These conditions had become obsolete. Hence, only a very few fishermen could enjoy the benefits provided by the government, Fr. Churchill said. The ban on fishing in 39 villages of Kanniyakumari district on the west coast begins on June 15 and ends on July 29. Meanwhile, fishermen in Thoothukudi district are also gearing up to embark on a new fishing season