After a gap of 61 days, fishermen from the coastal Ramanathapuram district ventured into the sea to fish, on Friday, June 14, 2024.
The two-month annual ban on fishing, which commenced in April, ended on June 14. During the ban period, mechanised fishing boats are prohibited from entering the sea. The ban is enforced in order to facilitate the breeding of fish and conservation of fish stock in the marine ecology, and during this period, the government provides registered fisher families with financial assistance.
Fishermen customarily carry out repairs to their mechanised boats and fish nets, and paint their containers during the ban period.
A large number of fishers from Pamban, Rameswaram and Mandapam jetties set off into the Palk Bay from noon on Friday, hoping to return to shore early on Sunday with a good catch.
A T.N. Fisheries Department official said they had given the fishers clear instructions on dos and don’t. All fishermen have to carry their communication gadgets. They have been told not to cross the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). Only those above 18 years can go in the fishing boats. Persons who have come from other States to Tamil Nadu are not to be encouraged to go fishing.
A senior official in Chennai told The Hindu that on Friday, a total of around 15,000 mechanised boats carrying close to 1 lakh fishermen from as many as 14 coastal districts including Kanniyakumari, Ramanathapuram, Tirunelveli, Thoothukudi, Pudukottai, Thanjavur, Tiruvarur, Cuddalore, Villupuram, Chengalpattu, Tiruvallur and Chennai are setting off into the sea to fish.
Fishermen leader Jesu Raja said that the fishermen have been told not to cross the IMBL under any circumstances and that surveillance by the Indian Coast Guard personnel and the Sri Lankan Navy would be intensified from tonight (June 14).
With the arrival of fish into the markets from Sunday onwards, prices are likely to come down.
Published - June 14, 2024 05:16 pm IST
