Karnataka - Mangalore   

Fishermen up in arms against new law

MANGALORE: Most of the 4,000-odd mechanised boats that undertake deep-sea fishing off the Karnataka coast may have to obtain written permission for fishing beyond 12 nautical miles (20 km) from the coast. Certain violations of a proposed Act could attract a fine of up to Rs. 9 lakh and imprisonment for three years. Section 1 of the proposed draft of the Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Act, 2009, a copy of which is available with The Hindu, states that vessels that undertake fishing within the territorial waters “shall be deemed to have been given permission under this Act…” Territorial waters have been defined by another Act as “the limit of… the line every point of which is at a distance of 12 nautical miles from the nearest point of the appropriate baseline”. Vasudev Boloor, general secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF), told The Hindu that many fishermen who go to sea and return only after eight to 14 days usually for beyond territorial waters. “They go by the availability of fish and not by the distance they cover from the coast.”

Regarding the powers given to the Coast Guard to “seize and detain” vessels violating the Act and arresting those on board, Mr. Boloor said, “It is the fishermen who have guarded the coast all along. It is we who tip of the Coast Guard about any intruding vessel. It is we who are there in the ocean waters round the clock.” The Act looks at fishermen with suspicion rather than ones who could be relied upon to protect the coast, he added.

He said the fishermen were willing to undergo training, if provided, to protect the coast better. He argued that any attempt at denying them free access to the ocean would amount to violation of international laws regarding fishing and would also be against the human rights of fishermen. The Act, he regretted, also empowered the authorities to drag fishermen to any court. A fisherman in Mangalore could be sued in a court in Delhi, he pointed out.

Stating that a recent meeting of the NFF at Kolkata had sought changes in this regard, he said fishermen would stage dharna in front of Parliament in New Delhi on January 11 and meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard. Also, a delegation would meet the Home Minster there, he said.

The NFF had sought constitution of the National Marine Fisheries Management Authority (NFMA) with fishermen as members so that all the stakeholders were taken into confidence in matters affecting them, he said.

Stating that the Tamil Nadu and Kerala governments had already protested against certain provisions of the draft Bill, Mr. Boloor urged Karnataka Government to emulate them.

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