Trawling ban divides traditional fishers, boat owners
The Hindu
Boat operators say pollution of waterbodies is the primary reason for reduction in fish resources
Traditional fishers and trawl boat owners are once again split over the imposition of the 52-day annual trawling ban off the Kerala coast.
The Fisheries department has convened a meeting of all stakeholders in Thiruvananthapuram on Friday to discuss issues confronting the fisheries sector as well as to consider the ban.
“The fisheries sector has been going through continuous crises over these years, and strict conservation measures are needed to ensure a stable future for the community of fishers,” said Antony Kurisinkal, the Alappuzha district secretary of the Kerala Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation.
He said the federation was for a 90-day ban and would hold protests in all districts depending on the decision being taken by the Fisheries department after Friday’s meeting.
Antony Ashrayam, a traditional fisherman from Arthunkal, Alappuzha, said the very intention of trawling ban was to conserve resources, which would benefit both trawl boat owners as well as traditional fishers. It is, therefore, meaningless that the trawl boat owners are opposing the annual ban, he said.
Jackson Pollayil of the federation said even trawl boat owners were facing shortage of resources, and some operators were also resorting to destructive practices like pair or bull trawling. They deploy boats in pairs and scrap the sea bed with fishing nets killing even juvenile fish.
Fishing Boat Operators’ Association secretary Joseph Kalapurackal said considering the serious loss of fishing days on account of restrictions during COVID-19 and on account of weather warnings in 2021, trawling ban may be reconsidered at least for the upcoming season.