Fishermen organisations on Wednesday urged the government not to permit shrimp hatcheries to set up structures too close to the shore.
Staging a protest at the office of the Fisheries Department at Nandanam, where the Coastal Aquaculture Authority (CAA) is also located, representatives of the Tamil Nadu Meenavar Iyakkangalin Orunginaippu Kuzhu alleged that the hatcheries that grew shrimp seeds meant for farms were setting up structures too close to the high tide line.
“These units have approvals only from the CAA and have no other regulating authority. They let out effluents,” they alleged. They said vast tracts of common lands meant for use by fishing villages were being usurped by these industries.
D. Ramraj, president, All India Shrimp Hatcheries Association, said the shrimp larvae were mostly fed algae and compound feed and not any chemicals.
“They are very sensitive live organisms and cannot be given any chemicals. The discharge from the hatcheries are monitored and are well within limits. Breeding fish, shrimp or any marine species requires sea water and sea front access and therefore a hatchery has been notified as a permitted activity under the CRZ regulations right from 1991 onwards,” he said.
Sources in the CAA said most shrimp hatcheries were located within 2 km of high tide line. All these hatcheries fell under its jurisdiction and it regulated all their activities, starting from construction to monitoring their operations.
Over 10 hatcheries that violated the provisions of the CAA Act, 2005, and its rules and regulations had been deregistered and closed by the CAA.
