The 47-day trawling ban along the coast of Kerala ended at this midnight. The ban period went off peacefully, without any major confrontation between traditional craft and mechanised boats.
The ban came into effect from the midnight of June 15. The Coast Guard, Marine Enforcement, Navy, and Coastal police were involved in the coordination of implementing the ban. There are reports that the colour code for mechanised boats, made compulsory during the ban period, was not effective. The ban period witnesses a shortfall in fish arrivals in major markets in the State. There were reports of prices of various varieties of fish species going upwards owing to the poor arrivals. The entire fishing sector is now buoyant with hopes of a good catch in the coming days.
‘Follow safety norms’
Our Special Correspondent writes from Kochi: The Coast Guard has urged the fishing community to follow safety procedures while operating at sea as fishing by mechanised trawler and boats begins on Monday after the 47-day trawling ban.
A meeting chaired by Deputy Inspector General M.V. Pathak, Commander, Coast Guard Kerala, at Fort Kochi Indian Coast Guard Headquarters took stock of the preparedness of Indian Coast Guard (ICG) units, including the Maritime Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC), Kerala, for immediate response to any eventuality at sea.
Mr. Pathak said that special community interaction programmes were being held with the fishing community on a regular basis to sensitise them to the need of safety and security of fishermen post-break monsoon. Any negligence could lead to loss of precious lives and property at sea. The fishermen are also being sensitised regarding misuse of DATs (Distress Alerting Transmitters), which results in avoidable efforts by maritime stakeholders to identify the false alert which otherwise could have been effectively utilised for other mission.
