Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram   

Fish workers to launch protest

Thiruvananthapuram: The State committee of the Kerala Swantantra Malsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF), which met here on Thursday, decided to organise a series of mass protests across the State on November 21 to oppose the Marine Fisheries Bill and the Indo-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement.

The meeting observed that the Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill 2009 would affect the livelihood of traditional and small scale fish workers. This, it said, represented a direct attack on the traditional and customary rights of the fishing community.

Participants at the meeting noted that fishermen played a pivotal role in matters relating to national security and remained constantly vigilant while fishing in the deep seas.

The Bill, they said, prevented fish workers from going further than 12 nautical miles from the coastline, when in normal conditions fish stocks were only available within a range of 50-80 km from the coastline. Crossing the 12 nautical miles limit would lead to imprisonment and a penalty up to Rs.9 lakh.

Speakers at the meeting also said the Free Trade Agreement would also facilitate the import of 177 fish species, posing another threat to the livelihood of the fishing community.

The KSMTF will join other major fisheries trade unions from Kerala on November 11 in a march to Parliament, opposing the FTA.

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