Fishermen up in arms against no-fishing order

VISAKHAPATNAM: With the state government marking areas around major ports in Andhra Pradesh coast as nofishing zones under the AP Marine Fishing (Regulation) Act, 1994, fisherfolk and owners of mechanised boats have geared up to launch an agitation against the government order.Talking to newsmen here on Saturday, president of AP Mechanised Fishing Boat Operator’s Association PC Appa Rao said the government order released a few days ago by the Director of Ports, Kakinada would hit the livelihood of fisherfolk.According to the order, 274 square kms from Gangavaram Port to Rushikonda beach including 13 kms inside the sea from the shore are prohibited for commercial fishing.Rao said in the name of coastal security, the fisheries department is formulating new laws such as uniform colour (yellow) for the boats against the sentiments of the fisherfolk as majority of them paint thier boats in different colour honouring their deity for good business.Even after strong protest from the fisherfolk, the Union Government is yet to stall the illegal entry of foreign vessels into Indian waters.As a result, the Indian fishermen are deprived of getting a good catch while the foreigners are looting marine resources.Though the fishing season began on June 1 after 45-day conservation period that ended on May 31, the mechanised boat operators and trawlers are a worried lot due to the government order.While the fishermen are pinning hopes on a good catch to clear their mounting debts, the boat operators are keeping their fingers crossed as they had suffered heavy losses last year due to various factors.They blame the entry of foreign vessels into Indian territorial waters besides mounting fuel costs as main reasons for their losses.While Andhra Pradesh contributes around 35-45 per cent to export of fish, Visakhapatnam alone contributes half of the exports from the State. However, the catch has dropped by about 50 per cent in the last season.Visakhapatnam fishing harbour has 600 mechanised boats and 60 trawlers. About 30,000 people depend on the fishing activity directly or indirectly.If the government fails to cancel the order, the fishermen would launch a massive protest across the State till the government responds to the issue, said members of the association.