With seven persons, including five fishermen who allegedly took Chau near the North Sentinel Island, being arrested, they are afraid of police action. Over A week after American tourist John Allen Chau (27) was allegedly killed by the protected Sentinelese tribe in the North Sentinel Island, a part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, there is a new sense of fear among the fishermen here. While some admit that they have often fished near the protected areas in the past, they are wary of talking about it. With seven persons, including five fishermen who allegedly took Chau near the North Sentinel Island, being arrested, they are afraid of police action. More so since some of them have, by their own admission, often strayed into these waters, either to fish or at the behest of foreign tourists wanting to photograph the protected tribes. At the Janglighat jetty near Port Blair, rows of fishing boats are lined up, along with rows of fish left out to dry. The fishing motorboats are allowed to fish within six nautical miles of the shore. But we now need to go further, to at least 14 nautical miles, as there’s no fish near the islands. The waters near the restricted areas are a good place to fish, because they are untouched, says M Raju, general secretary of the Fishermen Welfare Association. He admits that some foreign tourists use them to venture into protected areas. It is true that some foreigners take advantage of this situation. Poor fishermen are lured by easy money. Also, there are no boundaries or walls in the sea, so fishermen are often not aware which area is restricted, he says. I have not been near the North Sentinel Island. But a few years ago, when we passed one of the islands, we saw Jarawas sitting along the shore. We do not fish there, but some of the others do, says B Papa Rao (32), whose family has been fishing in these waters for generations. Why do you think some fishermen go near these restricted areas? Because there is fish there. Five to ten years ago, a six-hour journey into the sea would yield 600-900 kg of fish. Now, it takes two weeks to get the same catch, he says.