This time the annual 45-day fishing ban for mechanised boats along the east coast has been extended to 61 days. This has left not only the fishermen, but also the boat owners worried. The ban, enforced by the district administration through Fisheries Department, is aimed at facilitating breeding of fishes and conservation of fish stock. So, the ban which began from April 15 will continue till June 15. While most of the fishermen during this lean period have been involved in mending nets and assisting in overhauling the boats that remain anchored along the wharf, the extension of fishing ban for another fifteen days has come as a shock, M. Paulraj, fisherman from Tharuvaikulam, said. Normally, Tharuvaikulam fishermen engage in eco-friendly fishing with the aid of gill nets. Anticipating the end of the ban season, about twenty five boats were being readied to sail off Tharuvaikulam coast, but the extension of fishing ban has come as a disappointment, says a fisherman, who is yet to receive the ban period relief. As for S. Joe Boy, boat owner and former president, Thoothukudi Mechanised Boat Owners Association, fishing has not been good and lives of stakeholders relying on fishing industry would turn miserable if the ban period was extended. Instead of extending the ban period till June 15, the ban could be enforced 15 days ahead of the ban period that is from April 1, he added. Another boat owner in Thoothukudi said fishing season would be at its peak in June and several traders from Kerala would come to procure the catch at the Thoothukudi fishing harbour. But the extension of the ban period would sound an ominous sign for this industry as livelihoods of fishermen, boat owners, ice producers, ice carriers and personnel involved in transporting seafood would be affected, he said.