Fishermen getting ready for season from Aug 10

Mangalore, Aug 2 (UNI) Fishermen in the coastal Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka are getting ready for the fishing season, commencing from August 10.

The beginning of the fishing season had been advanced by 15 days, following reduction of fishing holiday during rainy season from 67 days to 52 days by the Supreme Court in its interim order. However, though as per the apex court order the season was to begin from August 1, the State Government had fixed August 10.

The fishermen community were readying their mechanised boats to set sail. They were now fully engaged in repairing and painting the boats, mending the fish nets, numbering the fish trays and storing the required ice to keep the catch fresh.

However, rough sea and the Government's failure to take up dredging work as promised were giving anxious moments to the fishermen.

Meanwhile, the deep sea fishing vessels, though allowed to venture into the sea from August three, have been ordered by the Government that they could return to the shore only on August ten.

In the three coastal districts of Dakshina Kannada, Udupi and Uttara Kannada, 2.34 lakh people depended on fisheries, of which 0.97 lakh were active fishermen.

The National Fishermen Forum (NFF) and the Coastal Karnataka Fishermen Action Committee have demanded that there should be uniform holiday period policy for fishing in the west coast states of Kerala, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra and Gujarat. The ban period in Goa and Kerala was limited to 47 days.

UNI