Relief for fishermen as Centre lifts ban early

With 5,800 mechanised boats, State will benefit the most in south India

The Centre on Monday decided to allow fishing by all fishing vessels from June 1 on the east coast. Thus, the fishing ban has been reduced by two weeks, taking into consideration the curbs imposed on fishing since March 24 in the wake of the COVID-19 lockdown.

The move will benefit Tamil Nadu more than any other southern State as it has the largest number of 5,800 mechanised boats in the region. Around four lakh people, directly or indirectly, depend on fishing by mechanised boats for their livelihood, according to a senior official in the State Fisheries Department.

This year, the Central Department of Fisheries, through an order of March 20, stipulated that States on the eastern coast of the country would have the annual ban on fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) beyond territorial waters from April 15 to June 14 and in respect of the western coast, June 1 to July 31.

Representation to Centre

Four days later, the countrywide COVID-19 lockdown was imposed and since then, fishing had been prohibited. From April 11, only traditional crafts were allowed.

Tamil Nadu and other eastern-coast States had represented to the Centre that the ban period, which would have even otherwise been for two months, should be cut short. “We were in the forefront of urging the Central government to reduce the ban period. We had suggested that the ban period be brought to an end on May 23,” said the official here.

In an order issued to Fisheries Secretaries of all maritime States on Monday, the Centre said that considering the restrictions on fishing since March 24 in the wake of lockdown and representations of the States to change the ban period, it had decided to change the ban period from April 15 to May 31 for the eastern coast and from June 15 to July 31 for the western coast.

The change was “applicable only for the current year and would not set any precedent for future,” the order clarified.

Rajeev Ranjan, Union Fisheries Secretary, told The Hindu that while considering the request of the States, the Centre had to take into account conservation and effective management of fishery resources, apart from the factor of safety of fishermen in the sea.