Fishing ban to end soon Tamil Nadu, but boats not ready for sail

TIRUCHY: Despite the 61-day annual fishing ban on the east coast coming to an end on June 14, more than 60 per cent of boats could not complete the mending works this time due to the exceptionally hot weather with experts for maintenance work failing to turn up.

Meanwhile, the fishers have also put forth a series of demands including increasing the quantity of subsidised diesel, reducing the price of diesel, and materials, and fixing a decent price for the fish.

Or else, the fishermen may face severe loss and their livelihood would be affected. Another demand is also to change the ban period to November and December during the northeast monsoon season which is considered to be ideal for fish breeding.

The fishers termed the 61-day ban period as too lengthy and appealed to the government to revise the number of days to 45 which was practiced earlier. “While the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act 1983 directs the fishing ban from April 15 to June 14 in the east coast for facilitating fish breeding, it was decided a long back. But climatic conditions have changed now and we the fishers have seen the present fish ban period has nothing to do with fish breeding as the actual breeding season is the monsoon time that falls from November to December and not the summer time as followed based on the regulation,” said A Thajudeen, General Secretary, Tamil Nadu Meenavar Peravai and president of Mechanised Boat owners’ association. Thajudeen further said that if the fishing ban period is followed during the monsoon times, that is, November and December, the fishermen could avoid fishing during when the sea is very rough and many fishermen missing incidents could be prevented. When the ban period follows during the summer days, that is April to June, the boats get dried away causing severe damage too, so it is ideal to change the fish ban period after conducting a field study and consulting the fishermen of the region, he said.

He quoted that, this time, due to hot weather, the boats that were kept for repair works could not complete the process of maintenance since many craftsmen failed to turn up citing the hot sun and thus, the damage to the boats, mostly the wooden bodied, increased.

“As the works were not completed properly, the owners might send their unrepaired boats with just touch works putting the life of the fishers as well as the boats at risk in mid-sea and we have several precedents in the past and for this too, we keep on demanding the government to switch over the ban period to the monsoon days,” Thajudeen said.

Meanwhile, the fishers who have been demanding an increase in the quantity of subsidised diesel, are in the hope that their demands will be heard one day. “The present subsidised diesel allotment of 1,800 litre per month was fixed almost 20 years back. But now, the engine capacity has been increased, the sizes of the boats have increased from 32 feet to 90 feet and the fuel capability has changed as the pulling capacity has increased but we are still allowed to receive the allotment that was fixed a long back,” said Thajudeen. He said that the fishers from the East Coast practice two methods for the mechanised boats – gill net and trawl net.

“The fishers who use gill net prefer deep sea fishing and they return once in 10 days and all through the period, their engines run and each turn, they need at least 4,500-to-5,000-litre diesel while the trawl net boats return on an alternate day needs at least 10 litres per hour but, the allotment of diesel under subsidy is limited and so they are forced to buy much quantity without subsidy and thus their fishing activity turns to be costlier. So, the government should revise the quantity of diesel subsidy with immediate effect,” Thajudeen said.

Veeramuthu, a mechanised boat owner from Akkaraipettai hamlet in Nagapattinam, said the investment for each fishing turn is constantly on the rise, the major expense being diesel. “The monthly subsidised allotment of 1,800 litres can be used only for 25 per cent of our monthly venture and we are forced to spend more due to various taxes which do not apply to us,” Veeramuthu said.

He also said that the boat owners are to bear the tax for roads and the environment. “We operate the boats only in the sea and not on the road and we never pollute the environment but we are entitled to pay even such taxes. If these taxes are not imposed on us, we can get the diesel at Rs 50 per litre,” Veeramuthu said.

Fishermen rue govt’s lack of initiatives to develop sector

Despite marine products exports being one of the major foreign exchange contributors in Tamil Nadu, the life of fishermen continues to be considered too humble. The government dole of Rs 6,000 during the ban period never helps them. Rather developmental funds and special loans for mending their properties would support uplift their lives.

Tamil Nadu marine exports contribute Rs 6,500 crore annually but the government does not want to develop the fishing sector.

“We do not want the dole but developmental funds. Being a major foreign exchange contributor, the government can think of a series of developmental projects so that the lives of fishermen too would be improved,” Thiruvalarselvan, a deep sea fishermen representative from Akkaraipettai in Nagapattinam said.

At the same time, the government should discuss with the fishermen before implementing any project. “We are the stakeholders and we know what support we need from the government and it is not the white-colored officials rather,” he said.

Meanwhile, the fishermen claimed that their hard-earned fishing would go at least pricing most of the time. For instance, during the 90s, 30 count (per kg) prawn with head removed sold at Rs 700 per kg but presently, it is sold at just Rs 400. Though it may be argued that the dwindling price caused due to the mushrooming of inland shrimp farms, the marine products needed to be concentrated.

“The government should fix a decent price so that there may not be much loss to the fishers,” Thiruvalarselvan said.

Crossing borders unintentional, say fishers

The fishermen from the region appealed to the government to constitute an independent body to have a diplomatic talk with the neighbouring countries to inform them that the fishers do not cross IMBL intentionally but are forced to drift due to the bad weather.

According to Thajudeen of the Mechanised Boat Owners Association, recently three fishermen from Kalumanguda village in Thanjavur ventured into the sea by a country boat owned by one M Veeraiyyan on May 16. “While they were fishing, they drifted towards the Sri Lanka coast due to heavy wind flow. To save their lives, they landed on the Sri Lankan coast and the local police arrested all three and remanded them till May 29,” he explained.

“We approached the Indian Embassy and the fisheries department officials who promised to help them with their repatriation. But even though their judicial custody was over, the Indian officials could not help them back to India as the charge sheet was not promptly handed over and so they were again taken under custody till June 12. Several similar incidents are there and so there should be an independent body to monitor such issues and help the stranded fishermen,” Thajudeen said.

He also claimed that many boats from India cross the IMBL due to heavy wind flow but the Sri Lankan Navy arrests them without understanding the real reason for crossing the border.