Kerala   

Good catch eludes fishermen

Staff Reporter

The catch before the monsoon trawling ban is usually good

LEISURE TIME: A fisherman takes time off at the Cochin Fisheries Harbour. Fishermen say the catch has come down considerably. Photo: H. Vibhu

KOCHI: The long wait of hundreds of fishermen at the Cochin harbour for the season's closure catch - the catch before the monsoon trawling ban - still continues.

Earlier, they used to get good catch during March-April period before the ban that begins on June 15. "We hope to get a good catch in May," said P.A. Navas, a fisherman.

"Usually, we get a wide variety of fishes during the pre-monsoon trawling ban period. Now, the catch is reduced to some varieties of prawns," said P.E. Ummer, another fisherman.

Fishermen and boats from Tamil Nadu also operate from Cochin harbour. However, the harbour is yet to witness any surge in the number of Tamil fishermen and boats since the ban on fishing came into force in Tamil Nadu on April 15. Since the ban, only two fishing vessels have been registered with the Cochin Fisheries Harbour. The vessels operating from here are expected to register their names with the harbour authorities. However, those who do not register are also allowed to operate from here, said a harbour official.

It is mostly during the post-ban period that fishermen from the neighbouring States reach Kochi, said K.K. Gireesan, Superintending Engineer of the Cochin Port Trust, who is in charge of the Cochin harbour.

Y. Franklin and Varghese, fishermen from Tamil Nadu, who had been working here for quite some time, expect men from their State to reach here in large numbers in the coming months. At present, no new vessels from Tamil Nadu have reached here, said Mr. Varghese. The fishermen of the harbour are finding the going tough as the catch is low. Poor returns might deter fishermen from the neighbouring States from coming here, said S. Jalal, a fisherman.

The poor catch has also affected the allied sector such as ice manufacturers. At present, manufacturers sell around 2,000 blocks of ice in Cochin harbour against the earlier 10,000, said M.T. Rafeek, an ice vendor.

Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal, general secretary of the Kerala State Fishing Boat Operators Association, says that the unilateral decision to impose the ban would lead to the death of the fishing industry from the State.

The ban period for West Coast from June 15 to July 31 is lean season for Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. But more than 50 per cent of the earnings of the fisheries sector of Kerala come from this period. Hence, the ban should be imposed during October-December period and march-April period, Mr. Kalapurackal said. If the State decides to go ahead with the ban during the monsoon season, it will eventually wipe out the industry from the State, he said.

Charles George, general convener of the Kerala Traditional Fish Workers Union, says traditional fishermen have been demanding the imposition of trawling ban.

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