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The fishing folk have called upon the Centre to reject the expert panels’ recommendations on deep sea fishing policy, as it would hurt both the sector as well as fishing operations.
Raising concern over the proposals made by the expert committee, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association pointed out that the report is an open invitation to foreign vessels to invade Indian seawaters instead of suggesting remedial measures for the better management of fish resources natively.
The expert committee headed by B Meenakumari had made various recommendations which included creation of offshore buffer zones up to 200 metres in depth to augment fishery resources as well as enactment of comprehensive legislation to regularise Indian fishing fleets in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Joseph Xavier Kalappurakkal, General Secretary of the Association, told Business Line that most of the recommendations were made without a systematic assessment of the socio-economic and conservation issues in the sector.
According to him, the fishermen community in all the maritime States and Union Territories should be consulted and their opinions be taken before coming out with changes in the policy.
The association, he said, also forwarded a letter to the Prime Minister requesting him to convene a national meet with Parliament members, various stakeholders in the sector, and leaders from the fisher-folk and other governmental agencies to bring out comprehensive policy guidelines in deep sea fishing under the Letter of Permit (LOP) scheme.
Kalapurakkal said that most of the fishing crafts in the country are confined to deep sea operations in the EEZ, as territorial waters to an extent of 12 nautical miles from shore are chemically polluted with effluents from factories. However, the expert committee had even recommended import of foreign fishing vessels to operate for the optimum exploitation of deep sea resources, he said.
The association also warned that several endangered species will face extinction if foreign vessels are allowed to venture beyond 500 metres.
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