Fishermen under the aegis of the Fisheries Coordination Committee will march to the headquarters of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) on Wednesday, demanding, among other things, the withdrawal of the Meenakumari Committee report on deep sea fishing.
The fishermen will also hold a protest meeting in front of the CMFRI, said the Fisheries Coordination Committee’s general convenor Charles George. The march will start from the Kerala High Court Junction at 10 a.m. Leaders of fishermen’s unions and boat owners will address the protesters.
The protest planned for Wednesday was part of the second phase of a series of action pressing the government to accept the demands of the fishermen, he said.
The fishermen wanted the government also to desist from issuing Letter of Permits to foreign vessels to fish in Indian waters.
The government must reject the recommendations of the technical committee headed by the former director of the CMFRI, Syda Rao, to ban all mechanised boats during the monsoon season. Fishermen were also against the move to interlink the Pampa, Achankovil and Vypar rivers, he said.
Withdrawal of the fuel subsidy and frequent increases in its price are other factors that have drawn the ire of the fishermen. The government was not giving the fisheries sector, which earned more than Rs. 30,000 crore in foreign exchange yearly, its due, said Mr. George.
