Hundreds of fishermen from all littoral States of the country will observe World Fisheries Day on November 21 by coming together in New Delhi to hold a march to Parliament to register their protest against the alleged apathetic attitude of the Central government towards the problems of the country’s fisherfolk. At a press conference here on Thursday, National Fishermen Forum secretary T. Peter said that though the Modi government had assured a separate Fisheries Ministry, so far there has been no move to constitute it. With permit from the Central government, foreign trawlers were ruling the roost on the Indian waters. Ban foreign trawlers A ban on foreign trawlers from fishing on the Indian waters had been a long-standing demand of the country’s fishing community. But it continues unabated. The community is deeply worried about the rampant trawling of juvenile fish using destructive fishing methods. Huge quantities of juvenile fish caught in this manner are mainly processed as poultry and aquaculture feed, he added. Mr. Peter said that when outboard engines were introduced into the traditional fishing sector of the State in the early 1980s, the government had assured 500 litres of kerosene as fuel a month per permit. But the quantity began getting slashed to reach just 97 litres a month per permit now. This hardly meets the requirement of a permit holder’s livelihood means. He wanted the permit to be increased to some justifiable quantity. A.Andrews, district secretary of the Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation, was also present.
2016, The Hindu