Fishermen across India have expressed anger at the new guidelines on fishing in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone issued by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries.
The new guidelines, issued in November, would “open up Indian seas to illegal, unregulated, unreported fishing”, said Charles George, president of fishermen’s unity centre Matsya Thozhilali Aikyavedi.
President of the Federation of Indian Fisheries Industries Y.G.K. Murthy said from Visakhapatnam that the guidelines were unacceptable and described them as a repetition of the former Letter of Permit (LoP) regime, which the fishermen had vehemently opposed.
Member of the Advisory Committee of Maharashtra Fisheries Board Dileep Padgre ruled out fishermen accepting the recommendations. The new guidelines authorised foreign vessels to poach Indian fisheries resources, he said from Mumbai on Tuesday.
The new guidelines are based on the recommendations of a committee of experts headed by B. Meenkumari, Deputy Director General of Fisheries under Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
