The Kalamukku fishing harbour on Vypeen island is humming with activity with the 47-day ban on mechanised trawling ending at midnight on Sunday.
The ice plants are running to capacity. Last minute touches are being done to the boats. Some of the boats lay idle as all work for venturing out have already been completed. Most of the boats have been painted blue and orange to comply with a State government directive to adhere to a colour code for security reasons.
The fishermen are hopeful that the comparatively good catch for the traditional sector over the last couple of weeks will be repeated for the mechanised sector. “Shrimp catch has been encouraging,” said Joseph Xaiver Kalappurackal of Mechanised Boat Operators’ Association.
However, scientists have said that the fisheries sector suffered a loss of up to Rs.150 crore in 2015 due to a fall in the availability of oil sardines off the Kerala coast. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute had submitted a report early in July to Minister for Fisheries J. Mercykutty Amma.
