Though the government has made it mandatory for migrant fishermen to seek permission from collectors of their respective districts before leaving the state, many of them have reportedly left AP without seeking any permission. Fishermen association leaders said on Monday that it will become difficult for them to restrict other fishermen from leaving for employment outside the state if the trend continues. Recently, two groups of around 24 fishermen from Srikakulam flew down to Gujarat from Visakhapatnam airport. They have not taken the mandatory official permission from the district collector’s office. We are receiving such information from other districts as well, Arijili Dasu, state leader of fishermen’s associations, said. Following the nationwide Covid-19 lockdown in March, the AP government helped rescue over 10,000 migrant fishermen, who were stranded in Gujarat, Tamil Nadu and other states. The government also collected details of migrant fishermen and made it mandatory for them to seek permission from district collectors before leaving the state to seek employment outside. Officials at the district collectorate office refused to comment on the issue stating that they are not aware of any such developments. We are not sure whether any fishermen have left the state. We have to find out, said a senior official. Some fishermen, however, admitted that some of them have left for Gujarat and other states, and that they too want to join them soon. They said they have been jobless since the last four-five months and their families are surviving on government schemes, rations and loans. Our sethjis (boat owners) in Gujarat want us to join work. They are also arranging flight tickets for us, said Cheekari China Danayya, a local fisherman.