Udupi: Traditional Fishing Using Country Boats Commences
Report & pics by RK Durga Digitals
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/MSP)
Udupi, Jul 13: Fishermen of the coastal districts, who use country boats for fishing during the monsoon months when mechanized fishing is banned, expect to reap better harvest this time. The country boats fitted with 10 to 15 HP outboard engines form the lifeline for the poor fishermen of the west coast during the rainy season. The fishing workers, who used to be hitherto engaged in deep sea fishing on mechanized boats during the fishing season, get busy working in country boats for the short duration when the fishing ban is in force.
The country boats carrying four to five fishermen brave the tumultuous sea to get engaged in their age-old profession during the monsoon months. Normally the traditional fishermen use to engage themselves in fishing through fishing boats at the beginning of monsoon. But this time around, they could not venture into the sea for almost one month, since the sea was turbulent with raging waves hitting the shore. Moreover, they have only 57 days for fishing this year as against the 90 days they used to get earlier Moreover, they are concerned about the likelihood of losing some more days of fishing owing to the wild sea.
In the undivided Dakshina Kannada district, around two lac traditional fishermen earn their livelihood through country boat fishing during the off season. These fishermen are hopeful of prospects of better fish catch this year, as they unluckily got just 25 days of fishing during the last year.
They are ready to venture into the sea on their country boats, bearing the high cost of petrol, kerosene and fishing nets, with the hope that their catch will make good the expenditure and efforts that go into the activity. These fishermen appease the sea god to bless them with large quantity of fishes throughout this season of limited period of sea fishing.
Also see: