Guj fishermen asked not to venture far in Arabian Sea

Ahmedabad, Sep 29: The Coast Guard and Gujarat Fisheries Department have issued instructions to Indian fishing boats sailing in the Arabian Sea not to venture beyond 15-20 nautical miles in view of surgical strikes on terror launch pads across the LoC, even as the state's coastal parts have been put on high alert.

Fishing boats sail from coastal districts of Porbandar, Gir Somnath, Jamnagar and Junagadh into the Arabian Sea for their catch, at times coming perilously close to the International Maritime Boarder (IMB) that India shares with Pakistan.

"The Indian Coast Guard and Fisheries Department have instructed fishermen not to go beyond 15-20 nautical miles into the Arabian Sea and asked us to recall those who have gone beyond as a precautionary measure," National Fishworkers' Forum (NFF) secretary Manish Lodhari told PTI.

"The association, acting on instructions, has begun sending out messages to fishing boats that are already sailing into the sea while alerting the fishing boats preparing to sail," he said.

Hundreds of boats go into the sea when the fishing season begins from mid August.

Already around 465 fishermen, mostly from Gujarat, are languishing in Pakistani jails after being apprehended by the Pakistan Maritime Security Agency from near the maritime border, he added.

PTI