Members of the Malpe Fishermen’s Deep Sea Trawl Boat Association on Wednesday staged a dharna in front of the office of the Department of Fisheries, seeking a ban on fishing done using lights by purse seine boats off the Malpe coast. Kishore Suvarna, president of the association, said the State and Union governments had, on March 25, 2017 and November 10, 2017 respectively, banned fishing in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by bull or pair trawling. The governments had also banned the use, installation or operation of surface or submerged artificial lights/LED lights, fish light attractors or any other light equipment with or without generator on mechanised fishing vessel or motorised fishing craft for trawling, purse seining or gill netting operations in the Indian EEZ beyond territorial waters. The Centre had urged the States/Union Territories and the Coast Guard to take steps to stop the use of LED light fishing within and beyond territorial waters. But these directives were being violated by the purse seine boats from the Malpe Fisheries Habour, which used submerged artificial lights/LED lights for catching fish, he said, adding that this would lead to a decline in production of fish. This will hit all fishermen hard as the last three years have seen a decline in fish catch. Our dharna being today is symbolic. But if the State government does not take action, we will not hesitate to launch an intense agitation, Mr. Suvarna said. Dividing fishermen’ Rama Amin, a deep sea trawl boat fisherman, said it was the duty of the Department of Fisheries and the district administration to implement the directives of the government, but they were not taking action against those violating them. We had brought this matter to the notice of Minister for Fisheries, Youth Services and Sports Pramod Madhwaraj also. But he too is not doing anything. He is politicising the issue and dividing fishermen, he said. When bull trawling was banned, we followed the directive. Mr. Madhwaraj, who is from the fisherman’s community, should try to solve the problem instead of being partisan, Mr. Amin said.