Udupi: Fishermen Operating Mechanized Boats boycott Fishing at Malpe

Report and Pics by Hemanath Padubidri
Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RD/SP)

Udupi, Sep 1: The fishermen engaged in deep sea fishing through mechanized boats, staged a protest here on Tuesday September 1 morning, by boycotting fishing. The fishermen alleged that fishing activity undertaken by a few fishermen using boats fitted with outboard engines, who catch fish at the Arabian Sea cost here, has been threatening their livelihood.  As a result, the fishermen venturing for deep sea fishing on mechanized boats, have been forced to venture deeper into the sea, which works out to be  uneconomical, they said.

The Fishermens’ Association executive committee convened an emergency meeting at Mogaveer Sabha Bhavan, Yelur, here on Tuesday September 1 morning. 

Around 128 mechanized boats were anchored at Malpe port, here and nearly 4,500 fishermen supported and joined the boycott led by their various fishermens’ associations. 

Mechanized boats venture into deep sea fishing with 35 to 40 fishermen on board, while outboard engine-fitted boats with six to eight fishermen each, rob the sea of all the fishes. This act of these fishermen poses a grave threat to the very existence of the fishermen engaged in fishing with mechanical boats, claimed the fishermen’s leaders.

The fishermen’s leaders urged the locals not to buy the fishes caught by the fishermen, who arrive here with boats equipped with outboard engines and catch fish in the sea waters here. 

Meanwhile, the fishermen’s leaders threatened that they would organize further agitations, if the fishermen operating with outboard engines continue to fish despite protest by fishermen operating on mechanized boats.

Fishermens’ leaders Rama Kanchan, Gurudas Bangera, Shivaram Putran, Somanath Kanchan, Nagaraj Suvarna, Ibrahim Saheb, Abdulla and others led the protest.