As many as 2,500 mechanized boats and over 100 trawlers in Andhra Pradesh will remain anchored at fishing harbors of Visakhapatnam, Krishnapatnam, Nizampatnam and Kakinada as fishing ban comes into force on the East Coast from Friday. As fishermen lose their livelihood for two months, the Andhra Pradesh government has announced a compensation of RS 4,000 per head to the crew of the mechanized boats and trawlers from this year. The Union Ministry of Agriculture, after a several studies and researches, including Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute reports, imposed ban on the fishing to conserve the mass of eggs deposited by fish and amphibians in the blue waters. For fish in the top layers of the sea, breeding season is mostly during October-November and for those at the bottom, it is April-May. In order to ensure good catch starting from the monsoon till 2014, the government imposed fishing ban for 41 days. However, the ban period differed from state to state. It did not yield good results as there was no uniform ban across the country. Taking several facts into account, the government announced 61-day fishing ban from April 15 on the entire East Coast. The seasonal ban helps fish to grow healthy. A large number of fishermen get livelihood on the nearly 1,000-km coast line of Andhra Pradesh. As many as 15,000 crew work in the mechanized boats in the state besides about 2,000 trawler crew. During the ban period, the operators will take up overhauling and repair of boats and nets. About 600 mechanized boats operate from the Visakhapatnam Fishing Barbour, one of the biggest and oldest harbors in the country. As there will be no work in the next 61 days, the family members of the crew face livelihood problem. The fishermen demand provision of free ration to their families during the ban period. The state government announced payment of Rs 4,000 per head from this year. The boat operator associations are demanding free ration and Rs150 per day as compensation.
2016, The New Indian Express.