Recent accidents saw fishing boats being hit by merchant navy ships
The newly floated All India Deep Sea Fishers’ Association, representing around 7,000 fishers mostly from Tuthoor, Vallavila, Chinnathura, Poonthura, Irambiyanthura, Kollamgod South and Neerodi villages, have demanded steps to ensure the safety of deep sea fishers in the wake of a series of accidents that saw fishing boats being hit by merchant navy ships.
M. Majeed, secretary of the association, said that deep-sea fishers, in the gillnet and longline boats, numbering around 600 and operating mostly out of Kochi, were not being accounted for now.
The association wants the authorities to keep a record of the number of fishing boats going out into the deep sea on a regular basis and to provide them help in case of accidents.