In the late afternoon light, Devasaradhi’ looks gorgeous with its orange wheelhouse and dark-blue hull on the Puthiyappa harbour in Kozhikode. Saagar, 23, along with two other Odisha fishers, is up from a power nap as the team is all set to go back to the sea after the 47-day monsoon trawl ban. Their boat is loaded with 3,000 litres of diesel, 200 blocks of ice and food for the 12-member crew for their five-day stay at sea beginning in a few hours. We have spent around Rs.2.5 lakh to stock this small boat with the essential items. But, there is no guarantee that we will recover the cost after toiling for five days, says Shijesh, a boat owner. For the 500-odd non-Kerala fishers in this small harbour, returning to fishing after the trawl ban is like children getting back to school after the two-month vacation. Most of them are from Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, and West Bengal and they are back after spending the trawl ban period in their villages. Rs. 8,000 a week For more than three years, I have been part of this harbour. I manage to get at least Rs.8,000 every week. The money meets my family’s daily needs, says Saagar, who speaks Malayalam fluently. The situation is not different for other workers too. For many migrants, the friendly approach of local fishers and boat owners is a major attraction. Debiprasad, a West Bengal native, says the Kerala boat owners pay their wages promptly at the end of a fishing expedition. They also pay extra during special occasions, he adds. Along with fishing, workers from Andhra Pradesh have the knack to earn something extra by knitting or repairing fishing nets. Raju, a fisherman from Andhra Pradesh, says migrant workers had acquired much expertise in fishing sector. Local fishers also say that the presence of migrant workers has given a new lease of life to the shrinking sector. There are around 150 fishing boats in this small harbour and all of them employ non-Kerala fishers, they add.