The government of the Indian state of Maharashtra is going to penalise fishermen who carry out fishing using LED lights in Maharashtra waters, as per a recent state notification. According to the government resolution (GR), the licence and registration of vessels found using LED lights to attract fish will be cancelled.
The notification has highlighted that the use of LED in fishing was banned earlier in 2016 but the same continued to be used rampantly, posing a threat to marine life.
Apart from the cancellation of licences, any fishing vessel found to be using illegal means like LED lights will be seized and monetary penalty around five times the cost of its fish catch at the time of seizure will be imposed, said an official from the fisheries department.
The GR comes in the wake of a huge brawl between bull and LED trawlers, and traditional fishermen along the Alibaug coast on November 15.
Injured traditional fishermen had complained to the fisheries department, following which, the decision to ban LED was taken by the fisheries department Monday.
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