The government is preparing to notify the Minimum Legal Size (MLS) for 58 marine fish species, under plans to regulate juvenile fishing and check the decline of marine fish stocks.
Minister for Fisheries J. Mercykutty Amma told the Assembly on Monday that the government would consider an ordinance, if needed, to notify the species. Replying to a notice for an adjournment motion moved by Hibi Eden, she said the notification would be an extension of the regulations on juvenile fishing already in place for 14 species.
The MLS sets the smallest size at which a particular species can be legally retained, if caught. It is a fisheries management tool to protect juvenile fish, maintain spawning stocks, and control the numbers and size of fish caught.
The Minister said the Marine Fisheries Regulation Act would be suitably amended to control pelagic pair trawling. The amendment would also cover the registration of fishing vessels and restrictions on vessel size, engine power and the dimension and size of fishing nets.
Moving the motion, Mr. Eden said juvenile fishing had gone up to cater to the increasing demand for fishmeal from prawn farms. Foreign trawlers and vessels from other States were plundering the juveniles of species such as sardine, leading to escalating conflict with traditional fishers.
Decline in catch
The threat of a fish famine was imminent as stocks of many marine species had declined. Thousands of traditional fishers were set to lose their livelihood, he said.
Meanwhile, the Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association is preparing to move court against the proposed MLS notification. The association feels that standardisation of fishing vessels and gear is imperative if juvenile fishing is to be regulated.
Pointing out that accidental catch of juvenile fish was unavoidable in the absence of standardisation, general secretary of the association Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal said the strict enforcement of the ban on catching different species of juvenile fishes in Kerala had led to uncontrolled exploitation by vessels from other States.
The National Fishworkers Forum is also demanding countrywide regulations on juvenile fishing. While welcoming the move to prescribe MLS for more marine species, secretary, NFF, T. Peter said it would be rendered meaningless if trawlers from elsewhere were allowed to raid Indian waters.
