Maharashtra fisheries minister Madhukar Chavan on Tuesday said that a committee of technical experts will be set up to give their report within a month on fishing activities and demand a ban on mega nets (purse seine nets) that catch fish in bulk.
Taking a serious view of rampant fishing posing a threat to marine life, Maharashtra fisheries minister Madhukar Chavan on Tuesday said that a committee of technical experts will be set up to give their report within a month on fishing activities and demand a ban on mega nets (purse seine nets) that catch fish in bulk.
“The committee will study various aspects and submit its report to us within a month. Bigger businessmen have been using mega nets (purse seines) that can be spread over a 3-km radius to catch fish in bulk, leaving none for local fishermen. A few such businessmen using mega nets have approached the court and the matter is pending,” fisheries minister Madhukar Chavan told DNA.
Earlier, a delegation of local fishermen called upon the minister to discuss various issues. “The minister has assured us of action in the matter. The trend of using purse seiners by large businessmen is increasing. It costs about Rs15 lakh to set up such nets and earlier, there were just two nets.
Today there are 600 and Maharashtra is the only state that has such nets. Such rampant fishing does not leave any fish for local fishermen who use traditional methods. Moreover, at this rate, marine life will be extinct in the next 15 years,” said Damodar Tandel, the fishermen’s leader.
“This is an important issue that local fishermen have brought to our notice, but one needs to study its various aspects and scientific implications. One will have to maintain a fine balance between the two and the committee will study these points,” Chavan said.
Fishermen in the city had pressed the panic button on Saturday, claiming that marine life and the ecology of the sea in and around Mumbai is in danger due to the government’s failure to curb rampant fishing by large businessmen and traders, which even continues during the monsoon season despite a ban.
The fishermen quoted a recent report submitted by scientists at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, which states that the number of species of fishes and fish-catch was on the decline, and that a closer monitoring of the situation is required.
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