Kerala: Good response to call for conversion of wooden fishing boats

Sources said that the Fisheries department wanted to assess the initial response from the fishing community to the proposals, which are meant to help augment their income as well as enhance their safety at sea. The department’s assessment is that most wooden boats in operation off the coast of Kochi are basically unusable because of their age. These boats are a threat to the lives of fishermen who use them, mostly for nearshore operations. One of the proposals is to convert them into steel boats.

Fisheries department sources said the initial response to a call for applications to join the scheme has been good. According to them, there are around 500 boats that are operating beyond their life period. Some of these boats are operating even after the end of the time period for fishing operations extended by the government. These boats have no option but to go in for modernisation.

All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators’ Association general secretary Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal said that not many wooden boats were in operation in the district. There may be around 50 of them operating off the fishing harbour such as Vypeen. However, wooden boats are more common in the north Kerala districts.

He said that wooden boats operated in nearshore waters and were owned by fishermen themselves. They are usually manned by five to six people, who also own the boats. It is a positive step that the sector is given support to ensure that there is employment in the fishing sector for traditional fishermen, whereas mechanised and larger boats are manned by workers from other States.

One of the demands raised by boat owners in their recent communication to the State was that the government allow wooden boats to operate after 12 years once they are inspected and registration is renewed. Similarly, steel boats that are 15-years old or more should also be inspected and registration renewed.