With huge mounds of of pink parch and marine shrimp, catch from first trawlers that returned to their base after the ban, Neendakara harbour may look all festive.
But the fisherfolk, who ventured into the sea on Tuesday night with hopes for a bumper harvest, say the scene is not promising. Around 200 motorised boats that touched waters after a 52-day break returned to Kollam on Wednesday and Thursday with what they call a ‘disappointing catch’. “Compared to previous years, there is hardly anything to rejoice,” says Ambrose, fisherman.
Almost all boats from Kollam had ventured into the sea ignoring the rough sea alert from Fisheries Department and the fishermen say they could not afford to miss one more day of work. “This year, the ban was extended to five more days and staying back meant more days of hunger,” says Shakti.
‘Unscientific ban’
According to Peter Mathias, president, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association, usually huge volumes of Karikadi and Kazhanthan shrimps are hauled to shore after trawl ban, but not this year. “Karikadi is a migratory species and the season to catch them is July, but by the time trawl ban ends, they reach too far. Karikadi first appears at Ambalappuzha and Thottappalli during late June or early July, and from there they travel towards the south. Karikadi has huge demand in Japan market and we get the monsoon-grade export quality variety only during June-July. Earlier, hundreds of factories used to function for at least three months, processing Karikadi, fetching export earnings in crores. But now the unscientific trawl ban has cost us large quantities of the prized shrimp variety,” he says.
Pink parch, locally known as Kilimeen, used to make another major chunk of the catch. “But for the past couple of years, the volume has dipped owing to the heavy-duty fishing of motorised country boats during the ban period. They use nets specially designed to catch pink parch,” says Joseph, fisherman.
But the first bout of misfortune has not completely doused the spirit of the community as they are waiting for the big vessels to arrive with renewed hope. “Now, almost all small and medium crafts have returned. But the big ones are still out in the deep sea and they may bring a good catch,” says Sauda, a peeler.
