It’s a double whammy for mechanised boat operators here. Faced with a dwindling catch on the one hand, and increasing operational costs on the other, they are finding it a tough row to devote their free-time during the annual conservation programme, commonly known as the annual ban, for repair of vessels. Finding it difficult to get institutional loans owing to the heavy depreciation of the cost of boats, only a few have started repair work even as the ban commenced in the East Coast for 61 days from midnight of April 15. This is part of the conservation effort during the breeding season. There are no takers for boats put up for sale. To meet repair costs, we have to mobilise funds either from our relatives or private-lenders by paying hefty interest, points out Gangaraju, a boat owner. Visakhapatnam is the leading fish landing centre in the country and the port is the leading fish exporting centre. It exports marine products worth over Rs. 7,000 crore per annum. Fish kill and empty nets The fishing harbour here is home to 700 mechanised boats and 250 beach landing craft. Before the commencement of the ban, about half of them were lying idle at the anchorage due to poor returns from fishing operations. For undertaking annual repair of gears, bushes, propeller, engine and for carpentry and painting work, we need an investment in the range of Rs. 1 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh per boat. As the banks are reluctant to grant loans, we are being forced to take loans either from friends and relatives or private lenders by coughing up exorbitantly high interest, bemoans Ch. Satyanarayana Murthy, president, Dolphin Boat Owners’ Welfare Association. The reason for falling catch is attributed to excessive exploitation, juvenile fishing, industrial pollution and indiscriminate use of plastic material. There were reports of fish-kill at Pudimadaka, Bheemunipatnam, Pydibhimavaram and Nakkapalli areas of North Andhra due to spread of chemical industries and the alleged release of untreated effluents into the ocean. Boat owners also say that after Cyclone Hudhud which ravaged the Visakhapatnam coast in October, 2014 there has been a drastic fall in the catch. One of their demands to increase the amount of diesel subsidy of Rs. 6.03 per litre up to 3,000 litres by the State government has not been revised for a long time, notwithstanding the frequent increase in diesel prices. The subsidy eligibility has also been restricted to those registered before March 31, 2002. The State government pays a lump sum Rs. 4,000 per fish worker in lieu of loss of income during the ban period. This, J.D. Naidu, general secretary, Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour Workers’ Union, says is not enough to make both ends meet.