As part of a Statewide campaign to popularise square mesh cod-ends in trawl boats, the Network for Fish quality Management and Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH) - an extension wing of the Marine Products Exports Development Authority (MPEDA) - conducted an awareness programme among fishermen at Puthiyappa fishing harbour on Friday.
At the venue, the programme coordinators also distributed the square mesh cod-ends, designed with a purpose to reduce the killing of juvenile fishes. Killing of a wide range of small living organisations termed as by-catch is a major problem in the trawl fishing, but, square mesh cod-ends- unlike its diamond mesh cod-end predecessor- allows juvenile fishes to escape through it,” they explained.
Joice V. Thomas, Chief Executive Officer of NETFISH-MPEDA, while handing over the new product to the fishermen, said it was high time the fishermen community in Kerala adopted the modern conservation measures in their fishing practices so that the depletion of fish recourse could be controlled. “Square mesh cod-ends, compared to its diamond predecessor, has many advantages such as less fuel consumption and escapement of juveniles fish, squid, cuttlefish and other valuable marine organisms,” he said.
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NETFISH State coordinator N.K. Santhosh, representatives of various fishermen organisations and boat owners were present at the programme. Munambam, Thottappally, Neendakara, Kaalamukku, Thoppumpady, Kayamkulam and Beypore were the other prominent harbours where the similar programme was conducted for the awareness of fishermen.