Traditional fishermen are raking in the moolah as the annual fishing conservation has come as a big boon for them.
Though the annual conservation period known as annual ban came into effect from April 15 for 61 days on the East Coast bringing operations by mechanised boats to a standstill, it has come as a big plus point for traditional fishermen who use catamaran. With no competition, they have jacked up the prices.“No competition from mechanised boat operators has come as a boon in disguise for us. We are able to get little higher returns for our catch,” Vadamodula Jogga Rao, a fisherman of Pudimadaka told The Hindu .
Now in city markets the most sought after ‘konam’ is sold at ₹1,100 per kg (pre-ban price ₹800).
Similarly ‘vanjiram’ cost has gone up from ₹500-600 to ₹800, white pomfret ₹800-900 to ₹1,200-1,300, white pomfret ₹800-900 to ₹1,200-1,300 and mid-size prawn ₹400 to ₹450-500.
With fish turning dearer due to short-supply, the unseasonal rain for the past few days prevented them from venturing into the sea. This has led to further increase in price.
Heavy rush
The popular fish markets in the city like MVP Colony, Jail Road, Nehru Bazaar, Dandu Bazaar, Akkayyapalem, Gopalapatnam, Gajuwaka and Madhuawada are seeing heavy rush with the popular varieties selling like hotcake.
Local activist Arjili Dasu of District Fishermen Youth Welfare Association said during the year only at the time of conservation observed for a couple of months, traditional fishermen get a premium price for their catch.
“On other days, bulk of the fish goes to the kitty of mechanised boats leaving only a little to the traditional fishermen,” he said.
Marine Product Export Development Authority recently provided ice boxes to the traditional fishermen so as to enable them to store excess fish caught by them for a few days and sell them later.
