Even as the marine enforcement squad and the Coastal Police have claimed of an intensified patrol along the coastline, fishermen and fishing boat owners in Kozhikode have expressed displeasure over the increasing presence of boats and fishers from other States, who allegedly resort to illegal fishing methods. The demand for action against such illegal practices has come at a time when local fishers are witnessing a huge drop in daily catch and active working days owing to unexpected climate change.
“High-beam lights are being used by fishers from other States, depleting fishing resources. Pair trawling using double nets has also made a re-entry,” said Abdul Majeed, a fisherman from the Chombala harbour.
He added that enforcement squads mostly targeted local fishermen. Some fishing boats reportedly cross the permitted distance from the shore for fishing.
The aim is to evade the eyes of marine patrol squads which cover a limited distance. Fishermen complained that flash patrols by the Indian Coast Guard or the Coastal Police rarely targeted such fishers and were mostly concerned about coastal security issues.
“For several years, pair trawling had been under scanner as it kills juvenile fish varieties undermining efforts to regulate fishing. This season, no patrol squads have been able to expose illegal pair trawling off the Kozhikode coast,” said P. Ajmal, a fishing boat owner.
He added that the weak enforcement activity continued, while local enforcement squads remained highly vigilant in checking the boats of local fishermen.
According to the functionaries of fishermen’s organisations, high-power LED devices are readily available in the open market to facilitate illegal fishing up to nearly 12 nautical miles off the coast. Almost all types of pelagic fish get attracted to such high-power lights, from 2,000 to 6,000 watts, causing sudden depletion of resources, they add.
Meanwhile, Fisheries department sources said their checking squads had exposed numerous incidents of pair boat trawling and juvenile fish hunting. They also claimed that regular checking was on near fishing harbours to monitor disproportionate stock of juvenile fish varieties.
