KOCHI: The Fisheries Deputy Director has slapped a fine of Rs 1.15 lakh on the fishing boat BEO Hiljis Gilnet which violated international maritime border. He has also cancelled its registration and licence. The measure is seen as a sequence to the incident in which the fishing boat Neethiman sunk in the shipping channel recently which developed into a war between the Cochin Port Trust and the Fisheries Department. The CPT had come down heavily on the Fisheries Department and sought compensation from it for causing financial loss to it due to interruption in its shipping operations.
The Fisheries DD S Mahesh in a press release said that the boat Hiljis Gilnet is blacklisted by the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission and faces a look out notice issued by the Indian Navy. The boat is owned by Kanyakumari Thuthoor native P Naziyan. Vypeen Fisheries Assistant Director S I Rajeev seized the boat during an inspection of licences of boats at 9.30 pmon October 9 at Thoppumpady fishing harbor. The boat was about to leave the harbor after filling it with ice. The Tuna Commission had blacklisted it for undertaking fishing though prohibited means in the maritime border without licence. The boat had changed its engine and also name to Arogya Annai to evade seizure.
There are existing orders of state and central governments to seize the boat, the fisheries DD said. The Fisheries DD also asked all fishing boats and boats with outboard engine to renew licence on expiry of the same. They should be presented before the authorities for renewing licences. He also said that the last date for registering new boats is October 20. All boats should have stipulated life buoys and life jacket, fire fighting and communication and navigation equipment which should be proved at the time of inspection by the fisheries authorities.
