Fishermen in Gujarat are up in arms against some `new entrants’, who, they say, are resorting to `predatory’ methods that have had a severely adverse impact on those who have been into this business since generations. Fishermen from across the state met in Ghoghla village in Diu on Sunday to lodge their protests against the `line fishing’ practice by these new entrants, who are mostly settled in and around Okha, for the the last two years. They claimed that these fishermen are capturing huge area with this practice and netting large quantity of fish, leaving very little for others. “These people are not traditional fishermen but have recently entered the business. Out of greed, they are resorting to line fishing by venturing into the sea with over 100 trawlers and they fish at the same spot. When they start fishing, they capture fishes from teh entire area.There is a question of survival now for other fishermen,” said said Bharat Modi, leader of Shree Akhil Gujarat Machhimar Mahamandal. The problem has assumed serious proportions, which can be gauged from the fact that the fishermen body has sought the intervention of chief miniter Vijay Rupani. “We are also going to represent to the central government over this seirous problem,” said Sunil Gohel, another fishermen leader from Porbandar. Fishermen said that there are over 30,000 boats in Gujarat but over 4000 boats returned back at coasts as they are unable to catch enough fish from sea because of `line fishing’. The dwindling fishes off Sau rashtra-Kutch coast has often led to confrontation mid-sea as well. Last year too, Gujarat fishermen had clashed with those from Maharashtra who entered the sea off Amreli coast and confronted with local fishermen. “If the situation remains same, fishing will become economically non-viable in coming days and hundreds of fishermen will be unemployed” Modi said.
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