About 120 tonnes of fish, including s ankara , vaalai , paarai and kaarai, were sold at the Kasimedu fishing harbour from 2 a.m. on Saturday.
These were mostly sold to wholesalers and retailers who in turn sold them to consumers, who were allowed into the harbour by around 6 a.m. “The crowds were managed better than last Saturday. Hopefully, by next weekend, the lockdown would be lifted and things would return to normal,” said a fisherman.
Since most boats engaged in fishing or a day, they brought back only smaller varieties of fish that catered to the local market.
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Varadhan, president of the Deep Sea Fishing Association, said that very few deep sea boats had ventured into the sea. “We need loans to restart our business since the boats are all damaged. The Minister has promised to get us small loans, we are still waiting for that. We also need better rates for the fish we catch. There are only two exporters here and they pay less than what fishers in other districts get. We need the government to bring back labourers from Andhra Pradesh and Odisha. The department has not done anything for us so far,” he added.