As many as 263 fishing trawlers that were supposed to sail from Tuticorin fishing harbour were moored to the jetty after the boat owners went on strike on Tuesday protesting against the Kerala fishing boats fishing in Gulf of Mannar seas. The fishermen leaders convened a meeting on Tuesday to discuss the row but did not arrive at a conclusion.
The fishing trawlers operate between 9am and 5pm. Of late, fishermen observed that they are not getting the usual catch. The trawl boat owners held a meeting with their country boat counterparts who take out multi-day fishing.
The interaction revealed that Kerala-based trawlers fish during the night in the usual fishing grounds of the Gulf of Mannar where the Tuticorin trawlers go for fishing.
“Ever since we learned this, we have been approaching the local fisheries department and district administration to take action against those Kerala boats. But we don’t get any proper response from them,” said Xavier Vaz, a fishermen leader.
The depleting seas are putting the fisherfolk in strife. There is a constant rift between country boat fishermen and trawl boat fishermen in Ramanathapuram and Tirunelveli districts as they compete for the fish.
This recent trend of fishing boats from the Western Coast venturing into the Eastern Coast for fishing is likely to aggravate the issue. “We want a solution to this problem as our livelihood is at stake. We are going to convene a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the next course of action,” added Vaz.