Following a video of illegal fishing sent by Gujarat fishermen, coast guard and Somnath marine police conducted a joint patrolling on Wednesday evening and caught 18 boats with Maharashtra registration fishing illegally near Gujarat coast. Under an ordinance to the Gujarat Fisheries Act, cops seized these fishing boats and reported the matter to the fisheries department. According to the police, these boats were found conducting line fishing nine nautical miles away from Sutrapada coast on Wednesday. Line fishing is a method which is considered harmful and Gujarat’s fishermen are opposing the use of this method. A local fisherman made a video and sent it to the authorities. According to fishermen, for the past few days nearly 200 Maharashtra boats were found conducting the illegal line fishing. All kinds of fish, including the juvenile are captured from a certain area in this kind of fishing, which results in drying up of catch for next few years from nearby areas. The ordinance, passed in the assembly with the intention of securing the rights of Gujarat’s fishermen, also empowers police officials of sub-inspector rank of marine police station to search and seize boats found fishing near the Gujarat coast. It has also has given adjudicating powers to sub divisional magistrate (SDM) to impose a fine of Rs 1 lakh to the boat owners and auction the catch.
The SDM also has the power to collect a five-time penalty of the amount of auction. President of Veraval Boat Association, Tulsi Gohil, told TOI: “Maharashtra has since a long time implemented this law, but it has come into force in Gujarat since last year. Many Gujarat fishermen were made to pay heavy penalties comprising lakhs of rupees in Maharashtra while their boats also remained seized for two to three months. This is one of the exceptional seizures here, but we want all the marine police stations to remain alert and take action against the boats of other states found fishing in our territory.” Gohil further alleged that there are several Mafia gangs that are also actively providing protection to these illegal boats in exchange of money. “In this case too, such a gang helped the Maharashtra boats to escape, but the police and coast guard managed to captured them in the sea again,” he added. The seized boats have been anchored at Veraval coast. Somnath marine in-charge police inspector, N G Vaghela said, “We found 18 boats fishing illegally on Gujarat coast and have seized them. We have submitted a report to the fisheries department and the SDM who will start further process.” Meanwhile, the fishermen of those seized boats are at Veraval coast awaiting adjudication.
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