After 7-day break, fishing operations resume at Rameswaram, Thoothukudi

MADURAI: After a break of seven days, fishing operations resumed off Ramanathapuram’s coastal waters on Wednesday.

Earlier, a cyclone warning issued by the IMD had restricted the routine fishing in the sea. Around 600 mechanised fishing boats set out to sea off Rameswaram, P Jesuraja, president, Ramanathapuram District All Mechanised Boats Fishermen Association, said.

N Devadoss, president, Rameswaram Fishermen Cooperative Society, said keeping their fingers crossed, the fishermen were out to sea for fishing primarily in shrimp trawls and also for squid-which are meant for export.

Usually, shrimp fishing is pretty good during this winter season from November, catching an average of about 30 to 40 kilograms of these fair-priced seafood items per boat. As the season winds down, there would be a decline in shrimp catch rate after January.

“But now, the fishermen are not content with the declining market price of ‘Flower’ shrimps that fetches Rs 400 a kilo against its actual price of Rs 600,” he said.

In the neighbouring Thoothukudi district, fishermen made their way back to sea after a two-day break, but many were not content with the shrinking fish catch.

Cyclone Michaung has negatively impacted the fishing, M Tharmapichai, vice president, Thoothukudi Mechanized Boat Fishermen Association said.

When contacted, R Amal Xavier, Regional Joint Director of Fisheries said out of a fleet of 262 mechanised boats, 184 boats ventured into sea off Thoothukudi fishing harbour. “In Kanniyakumari district, forty-nine mechanised boats including four with multi-day fishing set out to sea off Kanniyakumari coast,” sources said.