Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Fishing with technology

Staff Reporter

Three-day training to familiarise fishermen with IT resources

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For generations, fishermen have relied on traditional methods such as reflections in the moonlight or even their sense of smell to identify the best locations to cast their nets.

However, with the competition for fish becoming intense, boats are increasingly depending on modern technologies such as Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and on-board communication devices to give them the necessary cutting edge to catch fish more quickly.

A three-day training programme focussing on how to make effective use of information technology resources in fishing will begin at the AICUF centre in the city on Thursday.

Nearly 40 sea-going fishermen, selected from various parts of the State, will take part in the programme organised jointly by the Kerala Swathanthra Malsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) and the Indian Social Institute, Bangalore.

Satish Babu, former chief executive officer, South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies, says: "In the last two decades there has been a significant change in the adoption of modern technologies by fishermen. With the help of a hand-held GPS system the fishermen can pinpoint the spot and also find out how long it will take to reach the place," he said. A GPS system can cost up to Rs.5,000. Once a shoal is spotted, the information can be spread to other fishermen via mobile phones.

According to Mr. Babu, for the fisherman, a technology will become appealing only if it is directly beneficial to their livelihood. For fishermen who work from little wooden boats, knowing that a storm is looming can mean the difference between life and death. The training programme is aimed at incorporating the application of modern technologies in their day-to-day activities, he added.

The programme includes sessions on the relevance of gadgets such as fish finder, a device that allows fishermen to locate more fish in difficult sea conditions, mobile phone and hand radio in addition to computer related applications.

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