Six information centres have been set up in the State to support the livelihood of fishermen, said Beela Rajesh, Commissioner of Fisheries.
Speaking at the State-level stakeholder workshop on ‘Marine Advisory Services’ organised by the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF) and INCOIS here on Tuesday, she said the centres are located in Chennai, Cuddalore, Thoothukudi, Nagapattinam, Kanniyakumari and Rameswaram.
These centres would be responsible for data collection on landings, resources, dissemination of information about potential fishing zones, various government welfare schemes, weather warning and distress monitoring and reporting. MSSRF has been extending technical support for these centres, she said.
Ms. Rajesh also urged traditional fishermen to utilise the lifebuoys provided by the government to protect themselves. In the first phase, a total of 11,500 lifebuoys were distributed to traditional fishermen of Nagapattinam, Tiruvarur, Pudukkottai and Ramanathapuram districts at a cost of ₹ 1.62 crore.
The workshop was attended by representatives from fishing communities from eight districts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. V. Selvam, executive director, MSSRF quoted a UNFAO statistic to emphasize that if sustainable fishing is not practised, coastal fishing could be wiped out by 2050.
