The Fisheries Department is taking a count of the Chinese fishing nets in the Kochi backwaters as part of an effort to dismantle unlicensed nets. An official said that the department had stopped issuing licences to fixed nets and devices from the 1980s. Fishing nets operating outside the jurisdiction of the Cochin Port Trust operate without licences and paying compensation for the loss of nets is not within the purview of the department. According to an early estimate, there are around 175 Chinese fishing nets in the Kochi backwaters.They use lights to attract fish during the night and the Regional Accreditation Committees, which issued licences in the past, have been dissolved, said the official. He also said that the department would not be able to act against nets that are operated with licence from the Cochin Port Trust. The Port Trust issues licences on a yearly basis and each year they are renewed. Sources said that the Port Trust had issued licences to 153 nets last year. However, the Kumbalanghi nets do not come within the port’s jurisdiction.
2019, The Hindu