The annual fishing ban is set to begin from the midnight of April 15 and it will continue up tol June 14 midnight.
What has started as a voluntary ban is now officially imposed across all coastal districts, and only the time period differs. Like in Gujarat and Maharashtra, the ban varies from June to August.
In Visakhapatnam coast, all the 1,500 mechanised boats between Bheemunipatnam and Yarada, will be moored at the fishing harbour.
The ban is imposed by the Union Government in concurrence with the State Governments, primarily to see that the ban augments marine fish production and replenishes the decreasing fish stock.
“It is a known fact that fish production comes down due to over fishing, and some time must be given in the natural course for the fish to grow,” says Ch. Satayanarayana Murthy, honorary president of the Vysaka Dolphin Boat Operators’ Welfare Association.
The ban is generally imposed during the spawning season, which is the period when the fish lay eggs. Any disturbance caused by fishing nets, or use of motorised boats, can disturb the spawning season, says B. Pal of Democratic Traditional Fishers’ Workers’ Forum.
“Not only fishes, but other marine life such as soft corals, sponges and a number of bottom-dwelling creatures, regrow during this period. That ban is primarily for replenishing the marine diversity and marine life that are impacted due to overfishing,” says P. Janakiram, a professor in the Department of Marine Living Resources, Andhra University.
Fisherfolk unhappy
Every year, the fisherfolk welcome the ban enthusiastically, but this year many of them are an unhappy.
The State government, based on a direction from the Union Government, pays ₹5,000 to all the families who are directly dependent on fishing as monthly remuneration for the ban period.
But this year, many families will be exempted as the State government has issued two G.O.s notifying that any family that is already availing of any of the welfare schemes such as Amma Vodi or pension will not be eligible for the monthly remuneration during the ban period.
“This is gross injustice. For about two months, the families will not have any source of income,” says Tedu Shankar of the Visakhapatnam Fishermen Youth Welfare Association.
In Visakhapatnam district, there are about 30,000 families that are directly involved in the day-to-day fishing activity.
