The battle of wits over unsustainable fishing practices and juvenile fishing between traditional fishermen and boat owners took a new turn with a group of fishermen under the aegis of independent fishermen’s union, representing the traditional sector, writing directly to the Chief Minister to intervene to stop juvenile fishing, appointing enough personnel to keep watch over fishing boats and fishing gears deployed, relief measures for two months in the form of a financial package for the fishermen and a total ban on pelagic trawling.
The memorandum to the Chief Minister alleged that juvenile fishing is rampant in the northern districts of Kerala. The juveniles are then sent to fish meal factories in the neighbouring State. The fishes that are used for fishmeal factories are caught despite the rules governing fishing activities and the prescribed minimum legal size of the fishes that can be caught.
The fishermen’s union also demanded that the government must roll back its decision to steeply increase contributions to welfare fund by fishermen. The fishermen are going through hard days and it is impossible for them to make both ends meet, said convenor of Matsya Thozhilali Aikya Vedi Charles George in the letter.
He also said that the government must take the first steps to reconcile the issue of using Turtle Extruder Devices in trawl nets and to get the ban on shrimp from India lifted in the U.S. market. The U.S. has banned buying Indian sea caught shrimp alleging the fishing practices are unsustainable and endangered sea turtles. The fishermen here have claimed that turtles are not harmed on the Western Coast of India because they are not frequently detected in the sea in the area.