The fishermen of Kasimedu have started to build longer boats eyeing a better catch of tuna when they go deep sea fishing once the fishing ban is lifted. The boats used to be 30–50 feet long, but fishermen are now building 80-foot-long boats. Each new boat can transport up to 40tonnes of fish caught in one trip, says B Muthukumar, deep-sea fishing Boat owner’s association secretar. Each boat will cost 98 lakh and another ₹52 lakh for nets, ice boxes, and fuel-storing barrels, he said.
The move comes after the cartel that was controlling tuna prices collapsed, causing fish prices to spike. The price used to be fixed at 50 per kg. Now, skipjack tuna fetches 110 per kg, while yellowfin tuna fetches 265 per kg. With an increase in the selling price, more fishermen are coming forward to build longer boats at Kasimedu. At present, there are only about 10 deep-sea tuna fishing boats at Kasimedu, which is likely to go up to 20 boats.
In Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, the state govt coordinates with banks and helps fishermen get loans. But that’s not the case here. “The banks do not consider the boats an asset and refuse to provide loans,” Muthukumar said. V Balaji, a fishing boat owner, said deep-sea fishing boats will resume tuna fishing after the fishing ban gets over. For this, fishermen have to travel up to 600 nautical miles, he said.