Rapid formation of sandbars in Vembanad and neighbouring lakes and the virtual disappearance of giant shrimps have forced inland fishers to appeal to the government to call a meeting of the Fisheries Management Council to discuss issues confronting them.
Fishers have reiterated their demand that the government act on its promises to clean up backwaters, remove silt, and create a situation conducive for the smooth movement of water in lakes, said V.M. Aanandan of Enzhupunna-Thuravur Inland Fisheries Development and Welfare Cooperative based at Aroor.
He added that around seven lakh people, including those engaged in ancillary work, depended on inland fisheries in the backwaters. The lakes and their resources provided employment to thousands who took to fishing during the pandemic. “Backwaters have such potential, and we are ignoring it,” he said.
In a letter to the Fisheries Director on Thursday, Kerala Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi, an independent fishers’ union, appealed to the Fisheries department to act on the promise that the government would step in to clean up backwaters stretching from Aroor to Fort Kochi and covering the Kumbalanghi lake and its northern parts; Kaithappuzha and Veluthulli backwaters covering areas such as Ezhupunna as well as a portion of the lake collective at Mohamma and neighbouring areas in Alappuzha district.
Mr. Aanandan said the disappearance of giant shrimps from backwaters between Thanneermukkam and Fort Kochi over the past four years was a matter of grave concern. Besides, catching of juvenile clams or malli kakka has led to substantial loss of precious resources. There were almost no profitable and serious fishing activities in the eastern belt of the Kaithappuzha lake and the segment between Kumbalanghi and Pashnithode, he added. “The loss is a double whammy for inland fisheries when juvenile clams are caught because not only do we lose meat but also clam shells, which go into lime manufacturing industry,” he said.
Charles George of Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedhi said the Fisheries Management Committee should also discuss the fallout of the demolition of a private leisure resort on Nediyanthuruthu island in the Vembanad Lake. There are 53 small units as well as another large building that will have to be demolished, ensuring that the debris from the demolition did not further aggravate pollution and disruption in fishing activities, he said.
The leaders claimed that constant encroachment and lack of oversight resulted in the size of lakes shrinking to about one-third of their original area about half-a-century ago.
