Kozhikode: Arrangements are in place in the district for the 52-day monsoon trawling ban in the state from June 9 to July 31. A meeting held at the collectorate here, chaired by collector Seeram Sambasiva Rao, finalised the modalities for the ban.
The ban will be effective up to 12 nautical miles (22 km) off the coast. Addressing officials of the department of fisheries, Coast Guard, police and fishermen, Sambasiva Rao sought the cooperation of officials and the fishermen for effective implementation of the ban to conserve the aquatic wealth. He also directed the officials to ensure that the fishermen from other states leave the coast by June 9. Other than traditional fishing in country boats, no modes of fishing using motor boats and pair fishing with two boats would be allowed, he said.
A 24-hour control room has been set up at the fisheries station at Beypore (0495-2414074) for monitoring the ban. Three boats and a fibre boat will be ready in the sea to check any illegal fishing activities. The boats will be stationed off Beypore coast, Puthiyappa and Koyilandy harbours while the fibre boat would be stationed at Chombal harbour. A campaign would be held at coastal zones through mikes, pasting posters and notices. A joint team of fisheries, ports and the navy will be ready for rescue operations. Free ration also would be distributed among the fishermen by the department of civil supplies during the period.
The collector said that all fishing boats should have registration mark and the fishermen should carry identity cards, life saving equipment, tool kit and sufficient fuel. He urged the fishermen not to venture into the sea during bad weather alerts and told them that the repair works of rescue boats will be completed on a war-footing.
Kozhikode district has 5,229 fishing boats, including 1,006 mechanized fishing vessels, 249 fishing boats with inboard engines, 3,792 boats with outboard engines and 182 country boats sans engines. About 600 boats from other districts operate in the sea off the coast.
Deputy commissioner of police A.K. Jalaludheen, fisheries deputy director E. Mujeeb, additional director P.K. Renjini, and administrative assistant Jaya Merlin also attended the meeting.
'Fishermen buddy' ready
The district administration will popularise 'Fishermen Buddy,' a new mobile application to cater to the fishermen in the region. The mobile app, popular among fishermen in Tamil Nadu, has been assisting the community in identifying the fish-rich zones in the sea and also the latest weather patterns. 'Sagara,' the app developed by the state government, also is catering to the fishermen community in the state.
