Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Sep 29: Fishing season began this time with the inordinate delay due to adverse circumstances. The fishermen are a bit relieved as they could catch red prawns, pomfrets etc in good quantities. But in Udupi, catches of fishes which command a ">good price in the market are not that good.

During the last year, fishing could be undertaken for only a very short period because of cyclonic storms and inclement weather. Lockdown announced on March 25, fishing holiday in June and July and hostile weather in August had robbed the livelihood of the fishermen.

File photo

During the last two days, the fishermen from here were able to get good catches of red prawns, black prawns, pomfret and some other variety. Some boats which left the shore came back with about 1,000 tonnes of red prawns. It is said that in Udupi, a fish variety known as Klathi, was caught in abundance but at some places, space constraints were faced to store the fish. This variety of fish can be exported but in the local market, it has less demand.

Some high-value fishes like squid, ribbonfish and others have been rare in Udupi. In Mangaluru also their catch was less.

About 70 per cent of migrant workers from other states have returned. Once they come back in full strength, fishing might revert to its original form, feels deputy director of fisheries, Parshwanath. Fishermen leader Divakar Ullal expressed happiness at getting good catches.