Fisheries department officials seized four mechanized trawlers from a fishing harbour at Sethubavachathiram in Thanjavur district for the alleged use of double-fold nets for fishing. Despite repeated warnings by the officials, the fishermen had been using the banned nets, which destroy fish species, the officials said. Based on widespread complaints that fishermen from Mallipattinam, Sethubavachathiram in the district had been using the ‘irattai madi’ (double fold) nets despite repeated warnings, officials from the fisheries department conducted surprise checks at various fishing harbours.
A team of fisheries officials and coastal security group personnel led by assistant director of fisheries department Sivakumar inspected the Sethubavachathiram fishing harbour. The team found that fishermen Raman, Balakrishnan, Kalimuthu and Murugan had used the banned nets. The officials seized the double fold nets along with the boats