Centre says no to Kerala plea for exemption from fishing ban

The Centre has rejected Kerala’s request to exempt the State from the 61-day uniform fishing ban on the west coast.

After a meeting with Union Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh in New Delhi on Friday, Chief Minister Ooommen Chandy, however, told the media that the Centre had agreed to consider exempting traditional fishermen from the purview of the fishing ban.

Kerala wants to continue with the 47-day trawling ban during the monsoon, that has been in force for over a quarter century.

The traditional fishermen’s union leader Charles George told Business Line that there was nothing new in today’s development. He pointed out that the Centre’s notification for uniform fishing ban had a provision that individual State governments could follow their own fishing ban periods within the 12 nautical mile territorial waters but should fall in line with others in a five-year timeframe.

George said traditional fishermen are allowed to fish even during the 47-day monsoon trawling ban period.

He said traditional fishworkers in Kerala were now on an agitation path not for the exemption (which was already there), but for allowing them to continue to fish in the deep sea beyond the 12-nuatical mile territorial waters. The Centre’s ban, which will take effect on June 1, disallows traditional or mechanised boats fishing in the country’s marine Exclusive Economic Zone (within 12 nautical miles and 200 nautical miles).

George pointed out that almost all traditional fishworkers were now using valloms (motorised canoes) and that they have for years been fishing in the EEZ too. Since a motorised vallom reaches the EEZ sea within an hour and a half from the Kerala shore, almost all traditional fishing boats have been fishing in EEZ too.

“It is the traditional fishworkers’ right to fish in India’s marine waters irrespective of territorial boundaries as fishes know no boundaries,” Charles said. “We are fighting for this and we will not accept the Central Government’s 12-nautical mile restrictions.”

He said the traditional fishworkers’ union was determined to break the Centre’s ban and would continue to fish in the EEZ during the 61-day ban period from June 1.