The new National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2016 (NPMF) is likely to put the fishermen community in the State in muddy waters. Already hit by fishing ban for almost five months in a year, the fishermen are all set to suffer if the policy is implemented without revision. Even as the new draft policy suggested an alternative mechanism for development of the deep sea fishing sector, the fishermen claimed that the Department of Fisheries is yet to completely dump the Letter of Permission (LoP) scheme despite their repeated protests and discussion with the policy makers. The LoP scheme, implemented as per the Marine Fisheries Management and Regulation (MFMR) Act, allows fishing by foreign vessels in Indian waters posing a threat to the livelihood of local fishermen. According to the trawler operators, all foreign vessels have modernised systems to catch the fish and each vessel has capacity to spread the net in more than 1,000 metre area. It obstructs the path of fishes and sweeps them away through bottom trawling. While the State territorial water stretches upto 12 nautical miles within which local fishermen are allowed for fishing, India’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) is spread upto 200 nautical miles. Besides Odisha, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Gujarat are also affected by the LoP. Although the new policy suggested schemes for skill enhancement support to stakeholders and modernisation of indigenous vessels, it is silent on the ban on LoP. The department, which is likely to release the final policy by July 31, has sought opinions by June 10. Joint Secretary of Federation of Indian Fisheries Industries (FIFI) Kameswar Praharaj said the draft policy stresses on utilisation of sea resources in the EEZ with implementable set of rules and regulations under a strong monitoring, control and surveillance (MCS) regime. The policy makers must clarify whether they would scrap the LoP or not. The foreign boats will be allowed in the garb of modernisation of fishing vessels. Although as per the LoP, Indian companies have 51 per cent stake, no company here have high speed mechanised boats like that of Thailand and Taiwan, he said and demanded the Government to stop LoP.
2016, The New Indian Express.