Fishing activity along the Bay of Bengal has come to a virtual standstill over the last few weeks due to the ongoing protest by members of the fishermen community. The fishermen have been sitting in protest for the last 58 days with a single demand of including their community in the Scheduled Tribes (STs) list. Due to the protest, around 20,000 fishermen across the coastal districts of the state have been not able to engage in fishing activity as all their attention has been diverted to the protest since it started around two months back, said Arjili Das, executive secretary of AP Fisherfolk Foundation.Speaking to TOI, Das said due to the ongoing protest, fishing community have incurred a loss to the tune of 25,000 to 30,000 tonnes of fish catch, which amounts to around Rs 12 crore. While the major share of the loss has been incurred by the Srikakulam fisherfolk, which could be around Rs 5 crore, Visakhapatnam fishermen have suffered a loss of Rs 4 crore. While the Kakinada fishing community’s loss is estimated to be around Rs 2 crore, other coastal districts in the state have suffered a Rs 1 crore loss, Das added. Das said the loss would definitely make an impact on fish business in the state and would surely lead to rise in the price of fish in the open market. On the other hand, Das warned that the protest would be intensified as their community leaders were attacked and their camp set on fire by a group of tribals in front of the collectorate at Srikakulam on Monday. The tribals are against giving ST status to the fishing community in the state.
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