The fishermen of Kasimedu are objecting to the use of purse seine nets (surukku valai) in their traditional fishing grounds by fisherfolk from places beyond Cuddalore. These nets are usually spread by groups of small boats and the catch hauled in by a larger boat. The nets trawl the sea and take all kinds and sizes of fish, say fishermen. Such nets have been banned by the Fisheries Department and only a few fishermen use them on the sly. Fishermen caught using them could be fined. Shankar, a fisherman of Kasimedu, said that the activities of outsiders were causing enough trouble for locals. Only for the past month or two, our catch has improved after a long break. These fishermen with surukku valai, on high-speed boats, are just emptying our fishing grounds, he said. Another fisherman, Vinoth, said that in Ennore, one boat that was found to be using surukku valai was caught last week and that those men were made to promise that they wouldn’t come back to the fishing grounds here. Fishermen of Kasimedu have recently been capturing and bringing in boats , alleging that they were using the banned gear. However, a section of fishermen said that this was over-activism on their part. They are threatening fishermen from other places and this could lead to skirmishes when we fish in their areas, said a fisherman. S. Felix, Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Dr. J. Jayalalithaa Fisheries University, who has written a paper jointly with S. Mariappan and M. Kalaiarasan on the fishing gears of the Pulicat lake, said that fishermen in the brackish water lake were allowed to use it since it involved livelihood issues. However, it affects the ecological balance of the ocean and should not be used, Mr. Felix added. The nets were banned through a government order in 2000, under Section 5(1)(a) of the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1983.