Kumari fishermen oppose Fisheries Bill at meet

Attending the opinion hearing meeting convened by the Department of Fisheries at Nagercoil in the district and presided over by Collector Prashant M Wadnere, the fishermen expressed their reservations over the Fisheries Bill.

Fr Churchill, general secretary, South Asian Fishermen Fraternity, Kanniyakumari, said several traditional fishermen had already expressed their dissent over the report of an Expert Committee constituted under the chairpersonship of Dr B Meenakumari in 2014 for comprehensive review of deep sea fishing.

As per its recommendations, fishing operations by catamarans, fibre boats, country boats and mechanised boats were proposed to be carried out within twelve nautical miles at sea. Moreover, all traditional fishermen were also compelled to obtain a licence. When the fishermen unanimously opposed the committee’s recommendations, the Centre finally dropped it. But now, the Centre is trying to bring similar restrictions in another form and the fishermen would continue to oppose the move, he said.

The meeting, which lasted for about two-and-half hours, was recorded. The minutes of the meeting and all other documents would be forwarded to government for consideration, sources said.