Deep sea fishers represented by the Kerala State Fishing Boat Operators’ Association have said that the rules in the State governing deep sea fishing should be re-examined in the light of marine resources being exploited by fishers from other States and other countries even during the monsoon ban on trawling operations off the coast of Kerala. In a submission to the Kerala government, the boat operators said mechanised boats in the country were licensed to go across the waters and fish in the country’s exclusive economic zone. But while fishing boats and operators from other maritime States operated freely, the boats from Kerala were subjected to significant controls. The controls come in the form of fines and other restrictions for violation of the State rules including the ban on juvenile fishing while operators from others States were not subjected to such restrictions. The boat operators also alleged that the annual monsoon ban on trawling had not resulted in any significant increase in fish stocks and that studies had revealed that the breeding season of fish was after the monsoon between October and November. The monsoon ban is imposed in the State between the middle of June and July. The boat operators said that India’s oceanic squids, amounting to 25 lakh tonnes, was not being exploited by the country’s fishers while Chinese boats were netting the resource and selling it in the international market.
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