Annual fishing ban starts on Thursday

In order to conserve the marine fishery resources, seasonal fishing ban is imposed every year since 2001. The 61-day fishing ban period is implemented from April 15 to June 14 on the East Coast and from June 1 to July 31 in the West Coast (Rajakkamangalamthurai to Neerodi).

During the year 2021-22, a sum of Rs 85.62 crore was disbursed to 1,71,234 fishermen families of 14 coastal districts and this scheme will be continued in the year 2022-23 as well, Fisheries Minister Anitha R Radhakrishnan said, while moving the demand for grants for his Department in the Assembly on Wednesday.

Around 6,000 mechanised boats, across 13 coastal districts in the state, will not venture into sea for fishing during this ban period.

Any violation will attract a penalty under Section 5 of the Tamil Nadu Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, 1983. The ban is enforced by the state from Tiruvallur in the North to Kanniyakumari in the South, under the provisions of Centre’s Deep Sea Fishing Regulation Act, 2001 and would be in force till June 15 to facilitate breeding of fishes and conservation of fish stock.

A financial assistance of Rs 5,000 would be paid to about 1.71 lakh fishermen families during the ban period. Meanwhile, various fishermen’s organisations had long been demanding that the ban period should be shifted from April-May to October November-December, during the northeast monsoon and the state government is yet to take a call on it.