The state department of fisheries will impose the 61-day annual monsoon fishing ban from June 1 to July 31 to facilitate breeding of fish during the spawning season. The department has issued a strict order banning fishing activities through mechanized fishing vessels during this period. Registered motorized canoes using gill nets have been exempted from the ban, fisheries director Shamila Monteiro said. “Once the ban commences, the practice of mechanized fishing will come to a halt and mechanized vessels will refrain from going into the waters. Only canoes with ten horse power will be permitted, provided they only use gill nets,” Monteiro told TOI. On the major agitation held by traditional fishermen and boat owners, demanding that the government ban the use of boats with LED lights in the state, she said that most such vessels have taken the LED lights off their boats and constant patrolling by coastal police will also be done to ensure that the imposed ban on these lights and bull trawling is strictly implemented.
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