Although the Udupi district administration permitted fishing by mechanised boats with the condition that social distancing is maintained, shortage of workers has led to just 100 mechanised boats venturing into the sea from the Malpe Fisheries Harbour here. According to the Department of Fisheries, there are a total of 1,645 mechanised boats at the Malpe Harbour, the largest in Udupi district. The administration gave its nod to fishing by mechanised boats a week ago. But it put riders that only 39 boats should land at the harbour in a day so that social distancing was maintained during unloading and later, sale of fish. As a result, there is no proper auctioning of fish. The rate is decided by four or five fishermen and then, fish is packed in boxes and taken out for distribution. This has hit the profits of fishermen, said president of Malpe Fishermen Association Krishna Suvarna. The mechanised fishing boats are mostly dependent on workers from Uttara Kannada district and other States. Nearly 70 % of workers on deep sea trawlers are from Uttara Kannada district. They have gone back and are unlikely to return because of COVID-19 pandemic. As many as 270 workers from Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu also have returned to their States, he said. Assistant Director of Fisheries G.M. Shivakumar said that 415 workers at Malpe Harbour , who are from Odisha, Chhatisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand, had registered online as they too want to return to their native places. With the fishing season ending on May 31, the mechanised boat owners do not want to operate their boats just for a fortnight. Earlier, the mechanised boats used to do business of about ? 6 crore daily at the harbour. The lockdown has hit them hard. We have urged the government to extend the fishing season till June 15, said Mr. Suvarna. A fishermen’s delegation will be meeting Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa soon. We want a relief package for fishermen, release of pending diesel subsidy and postponement of loan repayment by six months, he said.