As the annual trawling ban draws to a close, crew members of Fisheries department’s ambitious deep-sea fishing project are a worried lot. The project, which was launched with much fanfare, has turned out to be a dud with most vessels allotted to various fishermen co-operatives in the State lying idle for extended periods.
According to fishers, the trawlers, each costing around ₹1.5 crore, are not suitable for venturing into the sea from Kerala coast and they are facing a lot of technical issues. “All seven boats given to us are made for coasts like Colachel in Tamil Nadu who venture into the eastern part of the Arabian Sea. In our boats the winch is installed in the wrong side and needs to be shifted to the opposite side as we venture into the western sea. As a result our nets get torn and the boats require never-ending maintenance works. Also, a lot of technical glitches arise when we are in far away from the shore and we have documented them all,” says a crew member of the boat allotted to Thiruvananthapuram district.
The fishers add that the boats are also not equipped with quality communication devices or gadgets to seek help in case of an emergency. “Since we go on long expeditions in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) having satellite phones and other communication devices are very important. We were also told that one litre of fuel is enough to cover around 10 km, but it can hardly cover 6 km adding to our operational cost. At present we need to shell out an extra ₹1.5 lakh for a trip and if we want to reinstall the winch in the right place we need around ₹2 lakh,” they say. Reportedly, the co-operatives from Kollam, Kozhikode and Malappuram districts are ready to return the boats as their debt is mounting. “During last year we had only less than 100 working days and the catch was not enough to pay for fuel. Our boat looks brand new as we couldn’t venture into the sea most days due to weather warnings. We have taken loans from Kerala Financial Corporation (KFC) and Matsyafed and we are unable to repay it,” they say.
While most of the fishers are disheartened, a few are hopeful. They feel that the situation can be salvaged with proper technical support and there is yet time to make it work. According to Fisheries officials, the fishers are facing teething problems and they will take some time to get into the groove. “Traditional fishers are not familiar with deep-sea fishing and it’s natural for them to have some issues. The department will take steps to address the issues,” said an official.
