Mangalore: Fishermen Forced Back to Shores

The Hindu

• Fishing in deep sea has continued without any problems
• Rough weather will continue till Saturday evening
• Fishing banned between June 15 and August 10
  

Mangalore, Jun 7: Rough weather forced many fishermen to return to shores here on Friday. A large number of fishing vessels were anchored at Bunder, the Old Port.

Deputy Director of Fisheries Sureshkumar Ullal said about 65 per cent of the fishermen who ventured into the sea had returned owing to the unpredictable condition of the sea. However, those who were in the deep sea, about 25 to 30 nautical miles away, continued their fishing activity there. “The deep sea remains calm irrespective of the conditions around the shores,” Ullal said.

He said that a general alert against venturing into the sea had been given to fishermen since Thursday last and it would continue till Saturday evening.

The rough weather comes as a disappointment for hundreds of fishermen, who left the shores in the last 24 hours. Every time they return, they suffer a loss because fishermen do not get paid for their activities. Owners of the vessels, who send the ships with huge quantity of ice and invest on fuel, also suffer loss. If the vessels fail to return quickly, the ice will start melting and the water will have to be pumped out from the vessels.

The rough weather follows repeated complaints from fishermen that the last season was bad too. According to fishermen, the fish landing was significantly lower this season. The current fishing season comes to an end within a fortnight. The Government had announced a 57-day ban on fishing from June 15 to August 10. However, multi-day fishing boats could venture into the sea from August 3 provided they return only after August 10, Ullal said.

Fishermen with traditional fishing boats fitted with outboard motors of less than 10 HP were exempted from the ban, Ullal said.