At a time when the row between Sri Lankan and Indian fishermen over fishing territory seems to be a never-ending one, another row has erupted at home between fishermen of Tuticorin and Kanyakumari. Tuticorin fishermen have accused their Kanyakumari counterparts of carrying out night fishing in the Gulf of Mannar, violating the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulations Act, 1983. Meanwhile, country boat fishermen in Tirunelveli have also accused Kanyakumari fishermen of carrying out fishing within 3 nautical miles off the shore, the area designated for country boat fishermen. Though the issue has been brewing for a while, Tuticorin mechanized boat fishermen on Friday announced an indefinite strike, alleging that fishermen from Chinnamuttom fishing harbour in Kanyakumari and also Kerala fishermen were carrying out fishing at night. Under the fishing act, mechanised trawlers are banned from fishing at night. The fishermen, however, called off their strike on Saturday, after district officials assured them of taking stringent action against erring fishermen. Meanwhile, Kanyakumari district collector Sajjansingh R Chavan also issued a warning to fishermen of Chinnamuttom fishing harbour, to limit their fishing operations between 5 am and 9 pm as per the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulations Act. Legal action will be initiated against fishermen violating the rules, the collector said. Though similar instructions have been issued earlier, Tuticorin fishermen said that their counterparts rarely adhered to them.
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