The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Visakhapatnam News : Fisher folk worried over falling catch, rise in operational cost

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Thursday, Jun 30, 2011
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Visakhapatnam

Fisher folk worried over falling catch, rise in operational cost

Santosh Patnaik

Inordinate delay in release of subsidy on diesel is one of the reasons

Shrimp catch has fallen drastically, say boat owners
The cost per voyage is estimated at Rs.1.60 lakh to Rs.1.70 lakh

VISAKHAPATNAM: Falling catch and increasing operational costs are making fishing unviable for local fisher folk.

Though the commencement of fishing after the end of 47-day conservation period on June 1 raised their expectations, the catch they got during their first voyage had belied their hopes.

The recent increase in diesel price has come as a bolt from the blue for the fishing community.

To cap it all, the inordinate delay in the release of subsidy on diesel by the State Government due since July 2008 has forced them to pool up resources for a voyage from private money-lenders. The subsidy amount due has accumulated to Rs.26 crore.

‘Illegal' fishing

Representatives from the fishing industry allege that the ‘illegal' fishing by foreign vessels by misusing Letters of Permit (LoP) has led to indiscriminate fishing on the east coast, making shrimp resources scarce. The Association of Indian Fishery Industries has represented to the Central Government umpteen times to stop deployment of foreign vessels through benami registration, misusing LoP policy.

Apart from LoP vessels made in Taiwan and Thailand, trawlers from Sri Lanka are also indulging in poaching, Ch. Satyanarayana Murthy, president, Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators' Welfare Association told The Hindu.

During the first voyage, the mechanised boats used to return with a catch of 500 kg of brown shrimp.

During current season, they were unable to get beyond 200 kg per boat. The most sought-after tiger prawn catches weighed less than five kg.

The prohibitive operation cost has prevented many to go on second voyage immediately on completion of their first trip.

The expenditure per voyage, consisting of seven to 15 days is estimated at Rs.1.60 lakh to Rs.1.70 lakh. This includes cost towards fuel, ice, ration and crew insurance. During the conservation period, all the boat owners had to incur heavy expenditure towards overhauling their vessels.

“We used to get a very good catch when we used to go to Pudimadaka or Kalingapatnam during this time a few years ago. Now due to LoP vessels and foreign trawlers, we are not even getting enough catch to meet our fuel expenses even after going up to Puri and Paradip for fishing,” pointed out Mr. Murthy.

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