Revoke ban on bull trawling, urges fishermen

 The Deep Sea Trawl Boat Fishermen’s Association, Malpe has demanded the government to revise the decision to ban bull trawlers in the coastal belt of Karnataka.

Speaking to media persons on Monday, Deep Sea Trawl Boat Fishermen’s Association President Dayanand Kunder alleged the government of taking hasty decision without consulting the people concerned, in an attempt to please the purse seine boat fishermen. He demanded that all should be taken into confidence before taking the decision. There is no truth in the allegations made by the purse seine fishermen that trawl boat fishermen are destroying the fish habitat in the sea, he criticised.

Justifying bull trawl fishing, he said bull trawl is usually called Bheem trawl which is not into deep sea fishing. In this particular pattern, the fishing net will be spread on the sea between two boats and the net will never reach the deep sea to destroy the fish breeds as alleged by the purse seine boat fishermen. Bheem trawler is also known as middle water trawler. Fish catch by the Bheem trawler include squids and ribbon fish, which otherwise will migrate to other parts of the sea.

Further, he said the central government has permitted 73 deep-sea trawl boats for foreigners to carry out fishing within 12 nautical miles. These fishermen from outside the country indulge in deep sea fishing as they have the boats with 10,000 HP (horsepower), resulting in destroying fish habitat beneath the sea. However, the local trawl boat fishermen do not have either the horse power or the fish net that can reach deep sea.

1436 mechanised boats

Giving the accounts of trawl boats in Malpe, Dayanand said there are 1436 mechanised boats in Malpe harbour of which there are nearly 150 small trawl boats 370 medium size boats, 780 large sea trawl boats and 106 purse seine boats. The remaining 1330 boats are dependent on Bheem trawl that use the boats with the horsepower of 350 and small fishing nets. 

He pointed that the government decision would badly affect the livelihood of around one lakh people directly and indirectly. The prime time for middle water fishing will be from August to October. He alleged that Udupi MLA is biased towards purse seine boat fishermen as he can procure the raw materials for his fish meal industry easily from the purse seine boat fishermen.

Demanding the Central government to come out with a common fishing policy through out the coastal belts, Dayanand said the government should strictly ban fishing for 50 days in monsoon all over the country.