The main objective of this ‘seasonal’ ban on fishing is to protect fish wealth while commercially important species breed. As per studies, suspending deep sea mechanized fishing activity on a seasonal basis is important. Earlier, the duration of the ban was 41 days, but now it has been raised to 61 days. Later on, due to rising discontent among fishing communities in Kerala, the government excluded traditional fishermen using non-mechanized boats from the ban.
But in a state like Kerala, where 80 per cent of fishermen use mechanized vessels, the idea of a 61-day ban has met with severe criticism and protest. Whereas in other states, where the number of traditional fishermen is less, no such protests have been reported. The bone of contention here is that the livelihood of as many as 1.6 lakh fishermen in Kerala depends on fishing. With mechanized vehicles banned from going beyond 12 nautical miles for 61 days, nearly 80 to 90% of fishermen in Kerala will be affected.
Fishing industry in India employs over 14 million people and has witnessed a tenfold growth since 1947. In fact, fish output in the country doubled between 1990 and 2010. With a marine coastline of 8,118 kilometers, 3,827 fishing villages, and 1914 traditional fish landing centers, India is a major consumer and supplier of fish in the world. But since 1988, the government of India has been working on ways to come up with a uniform trawling ban. All the coastal states in the country, along with the Union Territories, follow the seasonal ban. But raising the duration of the ban has sparked off a war between the Congress-led state government in Kerala and the central government.
(Featured Image Credit: thehindu.com)
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