Fishermen getting ready for the season beginning from Aug 10

Mangalore, Aug 2 (UNI) Fishermen in Daxina Kannada, coastal District of Karnataka, are getting ready for the fishing season to begin from August 10.

The beginning of the fishing season has been reduced by 15 days from 67 days to 52 days of holiday for fishing during rainy season by the Supreme Court in its interim order. However, though as per the Apex Court order the season was to begin from August One, the State government has fixed August 10.

The fishermen community are getting ready their mechanised boats fully repaired to keep in good condition to set sail into sea. They were now fully engaged in repairing and painting the boats, netting the fish nets, numbering the fish trays and storing the required ice to keep the fish catch fresh.

Meanwhile, the deep sea fishing vessels though as per the order were allowed to enter into sea from August 3, the government had ordered that they could return to the shore only on August 10. The fishermen community was happier with the court interim order reducing the ban days to 60 days and hoping for good catch this year unlike past few years.

Along the Karnataka coast covering the three districts of Daxina Kannada, Udupi and Uttar Kannada, there are a total of 2.34 lakh people depending on fisheries out of which 0.97 lakh were active fishermen. In the 300 kms coast, there are a total of 2947 trawl boats, 382 persuine boats, 4389 'beedubale' boats and 21219 traditional boats which were engaged in the fisheries activities.

During 2006-07, in Daxina Kannada district, the total fish catch of all varieties was 88,072 mts valued at Rs. 338.35 crore.

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. But the ban period in Goa and Kerala was limited to 47 days which it was 67 days as announced earlier which had now been brought down to 60 days.

Despite reduction in the ban holidays, the fishermen were still worried about commencement of fishing as sea was remained still rough which making fishermen not venture into sea.

Added to this, the government which had promised to commence the work of dredging in the fisheries ports had failed to take up so for. On the other hand, the fishing by the country boats fishermen who were allowed to enter into the sea with fitted out board engines during the ban period had failed to bring any cheers on their face.

These fishermen could not venture into fishing as the sea continued to remain rough for several days and could take up fishing only during the tag end of the 15 days period.

UNI