NAGERCOIL
Seven experienced fishermen from Kanniyakumari district left for Thoothukudi, which has an Indian Coast Guard station, on Monday to accompany Indian Navy and ICG personnel during searches to be conducted on the high seas to locate missing fishermen and their boats.
When Defence Minister Nirmala Seetharaman met the families of the affected fishermen in the district on Sunday evening, she assured them that fishermen experienced in deep sea fishing would also be taken on the ICG and Indian Navy vessels during rescue operations.
This is to make search and rescue efforts more effective since the experienced fishermen have earned a comprehensive knowledge of the fishing grounds beyond 50 nautical miles (more than 92 km from the coast).
Kanniyakumari fishermen usually go up to 200 nautical miles for three-week-long deep sea fishing carrying all provisions and ice bars to preserve the catch.
“The data recorded by GPS equipment carried by the fishermen of most of the vessels has been handed over to the ICG and Indian Navy officials, who will take our people along with them during the search operations to be carried out in areas to be chosen by our people,” said the fishermen.
