Around 150 people belonging to the fishing community staged a road blockade seeking registration of mechanised boats on Monday. They staged a dharna in front of the office of Assistant Director of Fisheries. As their demand was not met, they staged a road blockade on South Beach Road. “Some of the boats had changed their engines, but they are too long,” said M. Samy, president of a mechanised boat owners’ association. Currently, around 45 out of 245 mechanised boats at the fishing harbour are not registered. For registration under the Tamil Nadu Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, boats should have a maximum of 240HP engine capacity and 24-metre length. Those exceeding the limits would have to be registered with the Mercantile Marine department. Talks the police held with the protesters remained inconclusive. The protest, which started around 11 a.m., continued till late in the evening.