With the trawl ban ending on midnight of July 31, a whiff of fresh enthusiasm has emerged among the fisherfolk, who have been making preparations during the past few days to venture into the sea. It is a time of new hope and expectations for the fishermen, having had repaired the boats during the trawl ban period. One of the problems that confronted fishermen engaged in fishing using traditional boats during the trawl ban was the poor catch. It was during the season of trawl ban that Chakara, called mud bank in scientific parlance, appeared in the coastal waters of the sea. Chakara, the appearance of calm muddy formation, not very far from the coast, is generally accompanied by shoals of fish.
The abundance of fish appearing at many locations along the coastal sea used to be a matter of delight among the fishermen for many decades. Unfortunately, though mud banks have appeared at certain locations in the past few weeks, the fish catch was low. The appearance of mud banks, sans shoals of fish, has been a cause of worry among fishermen. ‘‘Mudbanks used to attract plenty of sardines. But the abundance of sardines in mud banks has become an old story now. A few other varieties are netted now,’’ said A.K. Baby, a fisherman at Thottapally.
It was during the season of trawl
ban that Chakara appears in the coastal waters.
