Fishermen oppose Marine Fisheries Act

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Chennai: The draft Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Act 2009, for regulating fishing activities in the exclusive economic zone beyond territorial waters, is being opposed by fishermen and the state governments, especially those in Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

The opposition is mainly on two points which stipulates for special permits to fish beyond the territorial waters and the penalty proposed for any violation.

However, the new legislation is to meet the EU requirements to ensure responsible fisheries. EU is India’s major market for seafoods, accounting for over 30%.

In a letter to Union minister for agriculture,consumer affairs, food & public distribution Sharad Pawar, Tamil Nadu chief minister M Karunanidhi has called for initiating a broader consultation process and to take into consideration the views and suggestions of all the State governments, fishermen community and other stakeholders before fianlising the Bill.

The fishermen are against the provision in the draft Bill which stipulates that ‘’any Indian fishing vessel shall require a specific permit for undertaking any fishing activity in any maritime zone outside the territorial waters’’.

This implies that though fishermen who are issued fishing licenses to operate within the territorial waters of the state are not allowed to fish beyond 12 nautical miles without getting another license under the new Act.

Since the fishery resources in the inshore area have been almost completely exploited, the fishermen having mechanised fishing crafts have been venturing into the sea beyond 12 nautical miles for exploiting the under-exploited offshore fishery reserves.

“The above clause in the draft Bill will pave way for duplication of licensing system and create confusion and compound the misery the fishermen community is going through now. It is also not practically possible to prevent physically the fishermen fishing beyond 12 nautical miles, in the absence of clear-cut geographical zoning’’, Karunanidhi has pointed out.

The chief minister has suggested that “only deep-sea fishing vessels registered under the Merchant Shipping Act/ Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) alone be brought under the above clause’’.

The penal provisions proposed for vessels fishing beyond the 12 nautical miles are “heavy and harsh”.