Fishers for withdrawal of licence fee hike

Fishermen have demanded that the “steep hike” in licence fee for small and big boats should be withdrawn as they are already under severe financial stress owing to resource depletion and effects of climate change.

Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi said here in a statement that the government had demanded a 10% rise in licence fee for small fishing boats. At the same time, the deposit and licence fee for big boats had been raised steeply.

The fishermen said while the government had raised the licence fee, it was not imposing any monetary burden on exporters. The fishermen’s union has warned that the decision was taken without consultation with stakeholders.