Action sought against illegal shing o Kozhikode coast
The demand comes at a time when local shers are witnessing a huge drop in daily catch
Even as the marine enforcement squad and the Coastal Police have claimed of an intensi ed patrol along the coastline, shermen and
shing boat owners in Kozhikode have expressed displeasure over the increasing presence of boats and
shers from other States, who allegedly resort to illegal shing methods. The demand for action against such illegal practices has come at a time when local
shers are witnessing a huge drop in daily catch and active working days owing to unexpected climate change.
“High-beam lights are being used by shers from other States, depleting shing resources. Pair trawling using double nets has also made a re-entry,” said Abdul
Majeed, a sherman from the Chombala harbour.
He added that enforcement squads mostly targeted local shermen. Some
shing boats reportedly cross the permitted distance from the shore for shing.
The aim is to evade the eyes of marine patrol squads which cover a limited distance. Fishermen complained that ash patrols by the Indian Coast Guard or the Coastal Police rarely targeted such shers and were mostly concerned about coastal security issues.
“For several years, pair trawling had been under scanner as it kills juvenile
sh varieties undermining eorts to regulate shing. This season, no patrol squads have been able to expose illegal pair trawling o the Kozhikode coast,” said P. Ajmal, a shing boat owner.
He added that the weak enforcement activity continued, while local enforcement squads remained highly vigilant in checking the boats of local shermen.
According to the functionaries of shermen’s organisations, high-power LED devices are readily available in the open market to facilitate illegal shing up to nearly 12 nautical miles o the coast. Almost all types of pelagic sh get attracted to such high-power lights, from 2,000 to 6,000 watts, causing sudden depletion of resources, they add.
Meanwhile, Fisheries department sources said their checking squads had exposed numerous incidents of pair boat trawling and juvenile sh hunting. They also claimed that regular checking was on near
shing harbours to monitor disproportionate stock of juvenile sh varieties.
High beam lights are being used by shers from other States, depleting shing resources.
Fisherman
This season, no patrol squads have been able to expose illegal pair trawling o the Kozhikode coast.
Fishing boat owner