Chennai, May 13 (IANS): Tamil Nadu fisheries department is trying to alert around 2,500 fishers out in the Arabian sea about a depression which may intensify into Cyclone Tauktae.

The Tamil Nadu fisheries department state Commissioner J. Jayakanthan told IANS: "Most of the fishermen are from the western coast of Kanyakumari since the annual fishing ban is in effect in eastern coast."

Fishing officials said that while only 84 vessels have gone into the sea from Thengapattanam coast, 150 fishing boats of Kanyakumari have ventured into the sea from Kerala coast.

The department is trying to contact them over the satellite phones provided to them by the state government as they move in clusters on high sea. Local churches and the coordination centres opened by the government are also helping.

The fisheries officials said that the fishermen have been advised to touch base at the nearest coast and the department has already coordinated with these coastal belts of various state governments to accommodate the fishermen who reach their shores.

The Indian Meteorological Department(IMD) has forecast the depression is likely to intensify into a cyclone about 100 nautical miles (185km) from the North Kerala coast and move northward till Karachi in Pakistan.

The southern states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu are witnessing heavy rains and thunder storms following a depression in the Arabian Sea.