Fishermen in the State have said they do not buy the Union Agricultural Ministry line that it will not allow foreign vessels to fish in India’s Exclusive Economic Zone and want the government to withdraw the November 12, 2014, “guidelines” for fishing operations by deep sea vessels in the EEZ.
They also demanded that the “Public Notice” on Letter of Permission (LoP) for vessels to fish in the EEZ issued on November 28, 2014, should also be withdrawn.
In a clarification issued on Tuesday, the Union Ministry said it “thoroughly rejected” the Meenakumari committee report suggestion to engage foreign or joint venture vessels to operate in India’s EEZ.
However, the government was not sincere in its stance, said State president of the Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikyavedi Charles George here on Wednesday. He claimed that the same government had issued an LoP to a company based at Visakhapatnam for fishing in the EEZ in November.
Fishermen would not rest unless the government withdrew the guidelines and the public notice on fishing in the EEZ, he added.
The government is trying to mislead the people and create a cover for allowing foreign factory vessels to exploit India’s marine resources, claimed T. Peter of the Swathanthra Matsya Thozhilali Federation.
He said the key issue was allowing joint ventures and large vessels to eat into the resources that sustained traditional fishermen.
The fishermen in the State have claimed that just as the UPA regime, the BJP government was trying to place controls on Indian fishermen while providing all freedom to foreign or joint venture vessels.
Mr. George also said the guidelines and public notice allowed LoP vessels to operate in waters just beyond 12 nautical miles.
Earlier, they were not allowed to come in beyond 100 nautical miles.
“The government stance implies that purseiners and pelagic trawlers allowed through the LoPs will eat up all pelagic resources during the pre-monsoon period,” he claimed.
