MADURAI: As the annual deep fishing ban is under way in Tamil Nadu, a group of 17 anglers from Kerala were held for breaching the ban at Thoothukudi, sources said on Monday.

Their trawler, with the registration IND-KL-02-MM-4022, was impounded on the East coast off Thoothukudi. The fishing ban came into effect on April 15 and is valid for 61 days since. This is enforced by the Fisheries department to conserve fish stock and facilitate breeding. Per the guidelines, mechanised boat fishermen should not venture into the sea as it could disturb marine livestock during the breeding season.

With many Thoothukudi fishermen flagging illegal fishing during the ban period by fishers from the west coast and Kerala, the District Administration has directed intensive sea patrols.

The trawler was impounded at 42 nautical miles off Thoothukudi, as per the Tamil Nadu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1983, during a joint patrol by the Fisheries department, Marine Enforcement Wing and Coastal Security Group. Fishes caught were auctioned for Rs 4.40 lakh as a punitive measure. The regional joint director of Fisheries would also impose a fine.

In a similar operation on May 15, another Kerala-registered boat was impounded and seafood worth Rs 4,16,560 was auctioned at Thoothukudi, sources said.

M Tharmapichai, a mechanised boat fisherman from Thoothukudi, demanded that the State provide the annual fishing ban and lean period assistance of Rs 14,000 at the earliest, as it’s getting delayed this year, unlike in 2024 when such assistance was extended within ten days after the ban was enforced.