Last week’s incident where four fishermen from the district remained untraceable for nearly three days has yet again underlined the need for an easy-to-use, two-way communication facility for deep-sea fishermen. Despite the enthusiasm shown by the Fisheries Department, the NavIC handsets which employ Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) know-how is yet to gain popularity among fishermen.
Although the gadget provides access to valuable updates on weather and potential deep-sea fishing zones, it does not allow two-way communication. In saving lives in an emergency, this can amount to a major handicap, argue fishermen organisations.
Upgrade by year end
It was expected that a technology upgrade that enabled two-way communication would be ready by the end of the year, the Fisheries Department officials said.
So far, 610 NavIC handsets have been issued, of which 444 have found takers in Thiruvananthapuram district, whose fishermen community bore the brunt of the Cyclone Ockhi in 2017.
According to the Fisheries Department, 10 sets have been distributed in Kollam, 29 in Alappuzha, 31 in Ernakulam, 16 in Thrissur, four in Malappuram, 51 in Kannur and 25 in Kasaragod.
The distribution is yet to begin in Kozhikode district.
Satellite phones
Of the 1,000 satellite phones ready for distribution, only 38 had found takers, a department official said.
Using bluetooth connectivity, NavIC handsets can be linked to mobile phones for accessing alerts..
Recent incidents had underscored the importance of a two-way communication facility that could be used at distances which rendered mobile phones useless, said T. Peter, general secretary, National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF), said.
Traditional know-how
“In its present state which allows only one-way communication, it is useless to fishermen. But more importantly, the government and the scientist community should be ready to encourage and nurture the traditional know-how of the fishing community,” Mr. Peter said.
Bowing to the demand from fishermen, the State government has requested the ISRO and the State government agency KELTRON, to which the technology was transferred, to upgrade the sets by enabling two-way communication.
The ISRO was expected to supply the upgraded technology by November this year, Fisheries Department officials said.
