DMK, AIADMK express reservations over Maritime Fisheries bill

Arch rivals DMK and AIADMK today expressed strong reservations over the Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill, 2009, with the former calling for broader discussions with stakeholders.
    
While AIADMK said it would oppose the Bill in both Houses of Parliament at the introduction stage itself and called for its withdrawal, the ruling DMK, a part of UPA government, said the bill should address apprehensions of the fishermen.
    
"The main apprehensions of the fishermen of Tamil Nadu are that the bill has been drafted without taking into  onsideration, the views of the stakeholder and that the penalty causes are severe," chief minister M Karunanidhi said in a letter to Union Agriculture minister Sharad Pawar.

He said the state government's views, which have been communicated, "have not been incorporated in the draft bill."
    
On the clause requiring Indian fishing vessels to have a specific permit for fishing outside territorial waters of 12 nautical miles, Karunanidhi said this implied that those who have been issued licenses to fish within state's territorial
waters were not allowed to do so outside 12 nautical miles without another license.

"The above clause will pave way for duplication of licensing system and create confusion, since certain fishing vessels ventured beyond 12 nautical miles, benefitting from a 'Centrally Sponsored Scheme'," he said.
   
Further, in absence of a "clear-cut geographical zoning," it was not possible to physically prevent fishermen from crossing the 12 nautical mile boundary, he said.