Tension erupted at Tuticorin fishing harbour after some local seafood merchants allegedly prevented traders of other districts from procuring fishes here on Friday night. Condemning this attitude of the merchants, fishermen struck work in line with the decision of mechanised boat owners on Saturday.
To enjoy monopoly on trading and auctioning seafood caught by the fishing fleet of the fishing harbour here, the local merchants denied entry to other traders and vendors, who largely rely on this harbour, C. Parthiban, president, Tuticorin Mechanised Boat Fishermen Labourers Association, said.
Four such merchants were specifically involved in bullying traders from other districts.
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To net a high income through seafood trade from auction hall at the harbour, the local merchants wanted to procure the entire catch and jack up prices arbitrarily while selling it to their preferred traders. It was unjust that boxes with fishes were piled up at the entrance of the auction hall to prevent access to other district traders to the hall.
Moreover, boards, which read ‘entry to the hall by other district traders to procure seafood was prohibited,’ were erected at three locations in the vicinity of harbour.
Irked over this, a few fishermen tore the boards.
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Only when the catch netted at sea fetched a profitable price on return to the shore, fishermen would be able to get their wages and boat owners, their profit. It would be meaningless if fishermen did not get proper wages even after toiling from dawn to dusk daily at sea to eke out a living, Mr. Parthiban told The Hindu .
S. Xavier Vas, president, Tuticorin Mechanised Boat Owners’ Association, said stakeholders including boat owners, fishermen and seafood auctioneers had unanimously decided not to market fishes to these four local merchants and a resolution to this effect had been passed at a meeting convened here.
Memorandum submitted
Sesu, former secretary of the Fishermen Labourer’s Association, said a memorandum had been submitted to officials to disallow the four local merchants, who were spoiling the livelihood of fishermen, to enter the fishing harbour.
Police personnel were deployed adequately on the harbour premises to prevent any untoward incident.
Boat owners, fishermen, seafood auctioneers had unanimously decided not to market fishes to four merchants and a resolution was also passed at a meeting