Despite a ban on fishing using purse seine nets, fishermen in Puducherry continue to use them posing a threat to marine life. Fishermen in several coastal hamlets in Puducherry have opted for this net, while some others have been using regular nets.
The purse seine nets cost around ₹20 lakh and the fibre glass boats using these nets require at least 15 to 20 fishermen. After the net is cast, it is manually hauled by around 15 fishermen. Purse seine nets not only catch fully grown fishes but also the fishlings, adversely impacting fish population.
A fisherman at the Thengaithittu fishing harbour said that a majority of fishermen from Tamil Nadu used the purse seine nets. “So if we abstain from using these nets, the Tamil Nadu fishermen will have a big catch. Adding insult to injury, the fishes trapped through these nets are transported in iceboxes to the local markets in Karnataka and Kerala.”
“The office of the Department of Fisheries located at the Thengaithittu fishing harbour has failed to take any effective steps to enforce the ban. The officials from the Department of Fisheries on the one hand have banned the use of the nets while on the other have been issuing tokens to fish loading vans from Kerala and Karnataka to transport the fish,” he said.
A section of fishermen here who are against the use of the banned nets are sceptical about the availability of fish for the future generations in view of the massive catch being made every day through the use of these nets. “Continuous purse seine fishing would wipe out the marine life in the next few years,” said another fisherman.
Continuing practice
A visit to the fishing harbour also brought to the fore shrimp and fish waste dumped to the west of the boat repair yard near the office of the Department of Fisheries raising a stink. Fish laden vans which arrive at the harbour early in the morning dump the waste and leave. This has been brought to the notice of the department on several occasions, but to no avail.
A senior official of the Fisheries Department conceded that fish waste should not be dumped into the water and instead it should be properly disposed off. “We have warned them against dumping the waste,” he said.
The department has already banned the use of purse seine nets and warned fishermen about the suspension of subsidy and registration of fishing vessels. But fishermen continue to use the banned nets. The fishermen will be sensitised to the ills of use of these nets and frequent raids would be conducted, he said.
