State to enumerate its fishermen trading with other coastal states
The state would take steps to take a head count of the number of fishermen engaged in the fish trade in other states, said Fisheries Minister D Jayakumar here on Wednesday.
By : migrator
Update: 2017-12-06 20:50 GMT
Chennai
The Minister’s statement comes at a time when the state had to face severe criticism for its inability to provide exact figures of the missing fishermen and those rescued post-the cyclone Ockhi’s ravage.
Jayakumar said that the Fisheries department would not restrict fishermen from the state from engaging in trade with other states’ fishermen, a practice which was in vogue for decades.
“Some fishermen were involved in fishing partnership activities with fishermen from Gulf countries and on other terms including on contract basis.
The Fisheries department would make note of fishermen who engage in the trade outside Tamil Nadu and would account for them in times of calamities,” he added.
On the number of casualties among fishermen, the Minister maintained that DNA tests would be conducted on the bodies that were washed ashore near Vizhinjam and Thiruvananthapuram since the bodies had decomposed beyond recognition.
“We will be able to come up with the number of casualties only after the bodies are identified as some fishermen from Kerala too have been missing after the cyclone,” he said.
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