Many of the nearly 49 fishermen from South 24 Parganas who lost their lives due to rough weather and high seas a few months ago may have been alive today had they carried basic life-saving equipment, it was revealed during a workshop on Maritime Search and Rescue (M-SAR) for the fishing community at the Kakdwip fishing harbour on Friday. Equipment such as Distress Alert Transmitters (DAT) and radio sets as well as life jackets and life buoys were displayed and demonstrations on their use given by officials from the Coast Guard headquarters at Haldia and unit at Frazerganj. Not a single life jacket was found in any of the capsized trawlers. There were no DAT signals either, though the transmitters are distributed free of cost to boat owners. In fact, we have not received a single correct alert in the last two years. There have been alerts but they were bogus. We mobilised our vessels only to realise that some signals got sent by children as the DATs were kept at home instead of the trawlers. In some cases, buttons got pressed when trawlers were being repaired at the harbour. Fishermen need to learn how to use DATs and protect them from harm. After all, it can save several lives. Even a basic item like a life jacket can keep a fisherman alive in the water for a day, however rough the sea, said M A Warsi, DIG and commander, Coast Guard headquarters, Haldia. During the interaction, it also came to light that save for a few, none of the wireless sets on fishing trawlers in West Bengal have licences. This was admitted by Bijon Maity, secretary, Kakdwip Fishermen Welfare Association. According to Coast Guard records, there are nearly 3.4 lakh fishermen in the state and an estimated 3,000 fishing trawlers are out in the high seas every day. I admit that except for 2-3 trawlers, none have licences for wireless sets. We did try for licences that cost a few hundred rupees each but touts at the monitoring station at Taratala demanded Rs 25,000-30,000 for every licence. Later, officials did apologise and took steps but the initiative had died down by then, he said. Ambarish Nag Biswas, secretary, West Bengal Radio Club, assured that all assistance will be provided for better wireless communication from trawlers once licences are obtained. You are unknowingly getting involved in an anti-national activity by using radio sets without licences. We know that the VHF antennae on trawlers get corroded due to the salinity and have developed one that has no such problem. You will also have to stop encroaching on frequencies meant for others. We often notice you chatting over our frequency that is used for emergencies at times. You will also need HF sets very soon as the extent of your fishing limits has been extended. We shall also train you in the use of HF sets like in Andhra Pradesh but get your licenses first, he said. Commandant Avijit Dasgupta, who heads the Coast Guard station at Frazerganj, warned fishermen against crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) into Bangladesh. A few days ago, some fishermen reported to the police that two of their trawlers were seized by Bangladeshi authorities. They were dropped off on an island to fend for themselves. Fortunately, they were picked up by other boats. Bangladeshi authorities have warned us repeatedly that you may face jail sentences if caught across the IMBL, he said.