Fishermen belonging to Chennai and Kancheepuram districts say their livelihood will be affected by the government ban imposed on fishing from January to April in order to save Olive Ridley Turtles.
The decision was made against the use of mechanised or motorised craft up to a distance of up to 5 nautical miles in the sea to save the turtles.
“Over one lakh fishermen using 30,000 motorised craft will be out of work for four months from January, after which, the 45-day fishing ban will come into force. We will not be able to fish during the monsoon which effectively means we would only be allowed to work for 50-60 days a year. How are we to be feed our families, and survive in such a situation,” asked K. Bharathi, vice president, Mylai Nochikuppam Meenavar Grama Sabhai.
Sekar of Neelankarai in Kancheepuram district sought to know how they were to reach the 6th nautical mile without using propellers or engines.
“Fishermen are for saving the turtles as we know that they too need to survive if we are to have fish. But we cannot die for the turtles. Our youngsters are being taught the importance of saving the turtles and some of them work for the cause too,” he said.
Gowrilingam of Injambakkam said that in some areas in Kancheepuram district there are homes and resorts being constructed on the beach without any care for the turtles or the coastal regulations.
“Turtles nest in these locations too and yet no government agency stops them. The word around is that the turtles are perishing because of our fishing practices, which is incorrect. A lot of pollutants are let into the sea, which is the major cause of the death of these turtles,” he said.
Recently, fishermen of at least 25 fishing hamlets staged a black flag protest against the order. They are demanding that the ban be lifted.
