Despite the imposition of Trawling ban in Kerala, countless small fish are still being sold in markets extensively. Eight fishing boats were caught regarding this issue by the Marine Enforcement Department in the state. The Fisheries Department also had its fair share of violators that needed to be dealt with.
The government had imposed the annual trawling ban off the coast of Kerala starting at midnight on June 9, which would continue till July 31 at Midnight. To ensure the improvement of the marine stock, the prohibition is implemented each year during the monsoon, although the ban did not apply to traditional fishers. Mechanized boats will be prohibited for 52 days.
Since the beginning of the ban, small fish like small sardines(mathi), small king fish (ayakura), and mackerels(ayila) are the ones being sold off the most. The fish caught by disregarding this ban requires to be marketed discreetly and thus are kept away from harbors and fish landing centers and are sold through auction. Turns out that these methods were proving to be ineffective and inefficient. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) had sent out their officials to the shores, from where they discovered that small fish were still being sought after despite the trawling ban.
The Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Rules state that only fish of a specific size may be taken from 58 different species. And as the fish grows in size, their weight along with their price will increase. In a recent update, it was found that the small mackerels were sold for Rs 50-100. Another feature of the small fish being caught is that there are lower chances of reproduction now. A study conducted by CMFRI shows how sardines are in their reproductive stage when it grows up to 14-16 cms.
കൈരളി ഓണ്ലൈന് വാര്ത്തകള് വാട്സ്ആപ്ഗ്രൂപ്പിലും ലഭ്യമാണ്. വാട്സ്ആപ് ഗ്രൂപ്പില് അംഗമാകാന് ഈ ലിങ്കില് ക്ലിക്ക് ചെയ്യുക.
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