‘Trawlers hit by purse seine boats using lights for fishing off Malpe’

Association alleges this was being done deliberately under instructions from Minister Pramod Madhwaraj

Environmental concern: The purse seine boats from the Malpe Fisheries Harbour are allegedly using submerged artificial lights/LED lights for catching fish that could result in a decline in the fish production.

The Malpe Fishermen’s Deep Sea Trawl Boat Association has criticised the lack of implementation of the rule banning purse seine boats from fishing using lights off the Malpe coast. This, it alleged, was being done deliberately under instructions from the Minister of Fisheries, Youth Empowerment and Sports Pramod Madhwaraj.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, Kishoredas Suvarna, president of the association, said that both the State and Union governments had on March 25, 2017, and on November 10, 2017, respectively prohibited fishing in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by bull or pair trawling.

They had also prohibited the use or installation or operation of surface or submerged artificial lights/LED lights, fish light attractors or any other light equipment with or without generators on mechanised fishing vessels or motorized fishing craft for trawling, purse seining or gill netting operations in the Indian EEZ beyond territorial waters.

The Union government had advised the States, Union Territories and Coast Guard to take necessary steps to prevent use of LED light fishing within and beyond territorial waters.

Inspite of these orders, the purse seine boats from the Malpe Fisheries Habour were using submerged artificial lights/LED lights for catching fish. This would result in a decline in the fish production. Already, the fishermen had suffered from reduction in fish catch for the last three years.

When the matter was brought to the notice of the Department of Fisheries here, it simply ignored the complaint. However, the same department was following the orders in other fisheries’ harbours of the State.

The association had also urged the purse seine boat owners not to catch fish using lights. But the latter had turned a deaf ear to its pleas because they were earning big profits by using artificial lights. The association also brought this matter to the notice of Mr. Madhwaraj, but he had brushed the matter aside by stating that a meeting of owners of purse seine and deep sea trawlers would be called to thrash the matter.

“Mr. Madhwaraj is doing this because he believes that the fishermen in the coastal belt of Udupi constituency did not support him in the last elections,” Mr. Suvarna said. The association would hold a meeting on this matter on Wednesday and decide on the future course of action. “We might even stop catching fish to press for our demand,” he added.