Members of Kanava Country Boat Fishermen Association (Thalamuthu Nagar, Siluvaipatti, Rajapalayam) on Wednesday submitted a petition with the Fisheries Department in Thoothukudi demanding a ban on usage of oxygen gas cylinders to catch fish and conch in the sea.
S. Thommai, president, said the fishermen from Threspuram village in the district were using oxygen cylinders to dive into the sea to catch fish, particularly squid (kanuva) and conch. Usually, fishermen jump into the sea and gather conch without any mechanical assistance. Hence, only a little of them would be taken from the sea.
“As they have started using cylinders, they almost remove all the conch from the sea. Also, as they catch plenty of fish from the deep sea, the country boat fishermen using conventional mechanism would be left with no catch,” he said.
They also damaged coral reefs using rods to catch octopus and small fish, which usually hide in between the reefs. “When they damage the coral reefs and destroy the place where the fish hide to breed, it amounts to destroying the sea’s eco system,” he added. As the government had already banned unlicensed conch divers, using of oxygen cylinders should also be banned, he said.