83 fishers aboard Kerala trawler held in T’kudi for trespassing

MADURAI: As many as 83 fishermen aboard a Kerala trawler and five other boats from Colachel were forcibly brought to Thoothukudi shore on Wednesday by some of local fishermen alleging illegal fishing in the coastal waters of Gulf of Mannar.

The boats, which bore registration ‘IND-KL-02-MM-4993’, ‘033-CLFH’, ‘119-CLFH’, ‘CLFH-087’, ‘CLFH -025’, ‘CLFH-013’ were tied up at a dock in Thoothukudi fishing harbour and all those fishermen aboard were handed over to the Fisheries Department here, sources said.

RJ Bosco, secretary, Thoothukudi Mechanised Boat Owners Association said most of the fishermen from Kerala were straying outside their legal fishing zone and such incidents have been recurring since 1990. “Such unregulated fishing goes unchecked putting the livelihoods of several thousand at stake. Unfortunately, many Kerala fishing trawlers were staying at sea for a week to ten days after trespassing into our waters,” Bosco said.

While strictly time-limited fishing is allowed off Thoothukudi coast from 5 am to 9 pm daily as enforced by the Fisheries Department, how Kerala trawlers could be allowed to Thoothukudi coast, P Ajay, a mechanised boat owner asked.

Official sources said a meeting was convened with the local fishermen in Thoothukudi and their demands for strictly restricting the Kerala trawlers would be given to the government for further action.

Seven years ago, three Kerala trawlers were impounded for fishing in violation of the annual fishing ban along the East coast of Tamil Nadu and the authorities imposed a penalty of Rs 1 lakh each.