With the 45-day annual fishing ban coming to an end on May 29, Thoothukudi fishing harbour is bustling with activity. While the owners are busy overhauling their boats, the fishermen are mending their equipment like fishing nets. The State-enforced ban came into effect on April 15 to allow breeding of fish along the east coast. After the ban period started, the fishing harbour witnessed hectic activities such as dry docking of boats, maintenance works, overhauling of engines, and repainting and mending of nets. Several boats were drawn up into the yard for dry docking. S. Xavier Vaz, president of Thoothukudi Mechanised Boat Owners Association, told The Hindu here on Tuesday that major overhauling works, including engine works, on a large boat would involve an expenditure of Rs. 6 lakh to Rs. 10 lakh. A medium or small boat would need an expenditure of Rs. 3 lakh to Rs. 6 lakh, he said. He said that barnacles, which attached themselves to the bottom of the boats, could be removed only during dry docking. If they were not removed, the weight of the boats would increase, leading to additional diesel consumption. Big boats entail at least six days of work and small boats three days of work, he said. Recently, a team of Fisheries Department officials from Kanyakumari, Ramanathapuram and Sivaganga checked all the boats here to ensure their seaworthiness, sources said. The officials checked whether all the boats were registered, and they adhere to the colour code and prescribed length and breadth. They also checked whether the boats were equipped with global positioning system, very high frequency wireless communication devices and life saving appliances. A total of 137 of the 238 mechanised boats moored at the harbour had not been registered.The officials would also inspect the 139 boats moored at Tharuvaikulam, 25 boats at Vembar and 10 boats at Veerapandianpattinam. Sources said that the ban period relief of Rs. 2,000 had been extended to 17,243 fishermen families each and forms were issued to provide a lean period assistance of Rs. 4,000 to each family.
2016, The Hindu