Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has called upon fisherfolk to shun destructive fishing methods and adopt scientific and sustainable ones to ensure that the fish wealth of the Kerala waters do not get depleted. Our fish wealth is among the richest in the world, he said. Mr. Vijayan was inaugurating the three-day Matsyotsavam organised by the Fisheries Department as part of the first anniversary celebrations of the Left Democratic Front government at the Cantonment maidan here on Saturday. The Chief Minister said the Union government’s decision to slash subsidised kerosene quota for the traditional fishing sector had badly affected the fishing community. He said last year the State government had intervened in the issue, providing Rs. 33 crore as subsidy for kerosene. The Union government was promoting corporates in the fishing sector because of which the traditional fishing sector was getting more isolated from their vocation, he said. Tools for fisherfolk The real problem of the fishing community was that most of them did not own fishing gadgets. They actually work for others as labourers. The government wants real fishermen to own fishing gadgets. For this purpose, the government is preparing policies and projects. The function was presided over by the Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma. Mayor V. Rajendrababu, M. Noushad, MLA, and K. Somaprasad, MP, were present.