The Hindu : Kerala News : Boat operators plan to defy ban on trawling

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 05, 2004

Kerala

Kerala

Boat operators plan to defy ban on trawling

By Our Staff Reporter

KOLLAM, JUNE 4. Fishing boat operators in the State have decided to defy the monsoon ban on trawling that comes into force from June 15. At a press conference here today, the State general secretary of the Kerala Fishing Boat Operators' Association, Joseph Kalapurakkal, said that on July 14, all mechanised fishing boats in the State would converge at the Shakthikulangara Fishing Harbour here and defy the ban by sailing into the sea to engage in trawling.

He said that when compared to the situation 16 years ago, when the annual ban on monsoon trawling was imposed, today there is hardly anything called traditional fishing in the sea. The entire fishing process has been mechanised. In fact, the ban was imposed for the first time in 1988 to help the traditional fishing sector get a fair price for their catch in the local market and not for the purpose of conserving marine wealth as publicised, Mr. Kalapurakkal alleged. The monsoon period was a time when the mechanised boats harvested several varieties of fish that fetched a good price in the local markets. As a result, traditional fishermen get a low price for their catch, which were mainly sardines and mackerels that are caught by surface fishing. However, today, the traditional fishing sector is mechanised to such an extent that the fishing techniques applied are not only highly advanced than trawling but even harmful to the conservation of marine wealth in the Kerala waters. Mr. Kalapurakkal said that the ban on trawling had only brought poverty and woe to the fishing sector. The Arabian coastline contributes 64 per cent of the nations' marine wealth and Kerala contributes 50 per cent of that, he claimed. The bulk of the catch is during the monsoon period. More than 20 lakh people in the State depend on the fishing sector supported by the mechanised boats for their livelihood and the sector itself accounts for a capital investment of Rs.9,000 crores, he pointed out.

The `retrograde' policies followed by successive State Governments have ruined the industry. The State once had 47 sea food export units. Save a few the rest had closed down, he said. He said that the monsoon ban on trawling was unscientific. There is no evidence to prove that the ban had helped conserve marine wealth.

The so-called traditional crafts are using techniques that have been banned, Mr. Kalapurakkal alleged. In addition to using 40 HP outboard engines, some of the traditional crafts have inboard engines now. These crafts carry nets that weigh more than 3,500 kg, he added.

The vice-president of the Association, M.S. James, said that boat operators and their employees would organise a protest meeting against the ban on trawling on June 6 at the Shakthikulangara Harbour.

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