Govind D Belgaumkar / The Hindu

• The loss suffered since August is estimated at Rs. 2 crore
• One venture into the sea costs up to Rs. 90,000
• Experts blame over-fishing for the situation

Mangalore, Oct 23: Fishermen here and most parts of the western coast have been going through a bad time for the last one month as they have not been able to catch “cuttlefish” which is exported to Europe, the US and China.

According to an estimation, the fishermen in the city have suffered a loss of over Rs 2 crore. Fishermen in Udupi and Karwar, and those in Kerala, Goa, Maharashtra, and Gujarat too have suffered losses, according to general secretary of the Mangalore Trawl Boat Fishermen’s Association Nithin Kumar.

Unlike this year, the season last year had made the fishermen and owners of trawl boats happy. The cuttlefish, known to be tasty, fetches up to Rs. 140 a kg. It is either exported directly by local traders or sent to Cochin. The fish, called “kappe” by fishermen, hardly reaches the people of the city.

Yield

One fishing expedition was yielding about 300 kg. to 400 kg. of catch. “Unless we get about 1,000 kg. we cannot make profit,” said fisherman Ramesh Baikampady. He said he had not ventured into the sea for more than three weeks now owing to a fear of incurring loss.

Hundreds of trawl boats have been anchored at Bunder here. Over 10,000 families depend on the 1,000-odd trawl boats, and their economic condition has a direct bearing on the economy of the region. Baikampady said that each time the trawl boats, which were smaller mechanised boats in which seven to eight fishermen go, venture into the sea, it would take up to 11 days to return. The boat needed more than 2,000 litres of diesel and ice worth Rs 7,000.

Nithin Kumar said that each fishing venture costs Rs.80,000 to Rs. 90,000. Many fishermen lost up to Rs 45,000 and hence decided not to venture into the sea. The fishermen had lost a few crores of rupees because of the bad season, he said. According to an owner of a trawl boat, in all, the fishermen had incurred a loss of over Rs. 2 crore since August.

Baikampady and a few other fishermen told The Hindu that they were finding it hard to survive. “For farmers, there is something called support price. For us, there is no Government support. If this continues, we will also be driven to commit suicide,” he says.

Labourer A K Abubaquer and the supervisor at the loading station M Mohammed said that the last one month had been the worst phase with fishermen bringing very little fish. Only on Monday October 22, some fishermen had begun to venture into the seas as there was news that they could get a good catch of ribbon fish which fetches them Rs 30 a kg.

Fishing experts have been accusing fishermen of over-fishing and failing to allow adequate time for fish breeding. But the association president maintains that they had no choice. “Fishing holiday should be uniform in all States. Otherwise, we will lose,” he said.