SAFETY WARNING: Commandant of the Karnataka Coast Guard Nithin Rathore interacting with fishermen at the Mangalore old port on Tuesday. Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department Suresh Kumar is at right.

MANGALORE: The Coast Guard has asked the fishermen of the State, particularly in those areas where there are islands, to be vigilant with regard to unregistered boats and people who do not have proper identification.

At a meeting organised by the Coast Guard, the State Fisheries Department and fishermen's associations here on Tuesday with fishermen, Commandant of the Karnataka Coast Guard Nithin Rathore appealed to fishermen to equip themselves and their vessels to face the vagaries of nature, as this would also help the Coast Guard carry out search-and-rescue operations in time and save the lives and property of fishermen.

Mr. Rathore said that in the wake of a security alert on the coast, the fishermen had to be doubly alert with regard to suspicious activities on sea. He told them to contact the Coast Guard immediately and report such activities on channel 16 on the radio or on the toll free number: 155211. He appealed to the fishermen not to communicate through channel 16 for any other purpose but emergencies, and added that the Coast Guard also operated on the same channel.

Equipment

Advising the fishermen to carry with them equipment such as the Global Positioning System (GPS) and other communication systems, Mr. Rathore said that these gadgets were now available at affordable prices in the market and soon the ISRO would be introducing a low-cost beeper that could be used to communicate one's locations to the Coast Guard, which would help them in rescue operations. However, the fishermen should carry life jackets and communication sets at all times on their boats, he added.

Mr. Rathore requested fishermen to cooperate with the Coast Guard whenever they wished to search their boats. He advised them to always carry the registration certificates of their boats as well as their identification cards.

Deputy Commandant R.K. Sharma and Deputy Director of the Fisheries Department Suresh Kumar were present.

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