Mechanized boat fishermen from East Coast of Tamil Nadu today ventured into the sea for fishing activities after the annual 61-day ban on deep sea fishing ended at midnight last night. More than 1,509 registered mechanized fishing boats from Rameswaram, Pamban and Mandapam in Ramanathapuram district had set sailed into the sea after the end of the ban, P.Isaac Jayakumar, Deputy Director of Fisheries, Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department told newsmen here today. He said the fishermen were advised not to cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) while fishing, as the Sri Lankan Navy yesterday warned the Indian fishermen of initiating legal action against those violating its territorial waters. Hundreds of fishermen from the coastal districts of Nagapattinam, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Thoothukudi, Tirunelveli and Kanyakumari also sailed into the sea for fishing. The mechanized boat fishermen of Rameswaram cut short their fishing to half-a-day as the first day of fishing clashed with the fishing day of country boat fishermen. As per the existing practice, the country boat fishermen ventured into the Palk Straits for fishing on four days a week and mechanized boat fishermen three days a week. Meanwhile, the fishing jetties in the coastal districts witnessed a buzz of activity since early this morning as a large number of fish merchants and agents have assembled in the fishing jetties to purchase fish, while the seafood export companies opened their fish collection centers’ to buy export-quality marine cache from the fishermen. The State government imposes Fishing ban under the provisions of the Deep Sea Fishing Regulation Act, 2001 every year between April 15 and May 29 to facilitate breeding of fishes and conservation of fish stock in marine ecology in the region. But, however unlike previous years, the fishing ban was extended to 61 days this year.