Deep Sea Fishing Kanna Fibre Boat Owners’ Association on Monday submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy seeking the Cabinet approval to allow them to use purse seine nets for fishing. Heavy investment T. Subbarayan, leader of the fibre boat owners’ association, said that there were 50 fishermen families that had invested heavily on the purse seine nets for fishing. It was only after looking into the fishing practices of fishermen in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala in 2001 that fishermen in Puducherry adapted the practice of fishing using purse seine nets in 2007. Now, nearly 75 per cent of the fishermen use purse seine nets. However, recently the Lieutenant Governor has issued statements against the use of these nets. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has stated that use of purse seine nets will not harm the growth of fish. Taking all these into consideration, the government should approve the use of these nets, said the association.
2016, The Hindu