Fishers flag concerns over move, term it disastrous
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Entry of foreign firms for deep-sea fishing termed
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Entry of foreign firms for deep-sea fishing termed
Representatives of the All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association, who had approached both the State and the Centre for support to conduct deep-sea fishing, say the entry of foreign firms in the sector will be disastrous.
“We already have more than enough trawlers and they are talking about launching a fleet of 400 extra vessels. The mechanised sector has been struggling due to the depletion in marine stock and the project is not at all viable. Last year, shipyard had built 40 vessels for the fishers from Thrissur with a Central subsidy of ₹1 crore. At present the vessels are operating at a loss,” says Joseph Xavier Kalappurakkal, general secretary.
March planned to Mercykutty’s house demanding cancellation of ‘pact’ with U.S. firm
A fishing hartal will be observed on Kerala’s coastline on February 27 under the banner of the newly formed Matsya Mekhala Samrakshana Samiti, demanding cancellation of the ‘‘Memorandum of Understanding (MoU)’’ between the Kerala Shipping and Inland Navigation Corporation (KSINC) and a U.S.-based company to build 400 trawlers to be deployed off the Indian coast for deep-sea fishing.
The decision on the hartal was taken here on Saturday evening following a meeting of fishers’ unions (barring those affiliated to the CPI(M), CPI, and the BJP), boat owners’ associations, representatives of traditional fishermen, and people’s representatives led by Hibi Eden and T.N. Pratapan, MPs.