The annual 61-day fishing ban in the Bay of Bengal will come into force from April 15 in Andhra Pradesh, ensuring a safe breeding season for various species.
The ban restricts venturing into the sea for fishing by mechanised and motor boats from the midnight of April 14. The State government has roped in the marine police to keep an eye on those who defy the ban. All kinds of boats are required to be anchored along the 974-km coastline of the State during the ban period.
Fisher folk have joined the fisheries authorities in implementing the ban after realising its importance.
Package
Andhra Pradesh has the second longest coastline and one of the States where a majority of coastal communities continue to depend on fishing activity. In Krishna district alone, as many as 1,306 boats, including 106 mechanised ones, are engaged in the activity. “An estimated workforce of more than 4,600 will be directly affected due to the ban. We have started enumeration to identify the affected families to sanction the package of ₹4,000 per family. It will be directly credited into the account of the beneficiary,” Krishna District Fisheries Joint Director P. Koteswara Rao told The Hindu.
The district administration will provide work to the fisher folk for the 61-day ban period under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
