No fishing in state from June 1 to July 31

From next month onwards, you might find the lip-smacking Bombil, Pomfret and Surmai hard to get, as the state fishermen have decided to stop fishing for the next two months. According to the fishermen, this is their way to preserve the marine ecological balance and conserve the crop of young fish in the absence of any such government initiative.

The fishermen from Thane, Palghar and other districts of Maharashtra will follow the self-imposed ban from June 1 to July 31. "We have taken this decision to support the fish breeding season. Since December last year, we have been seeing a gradual decrease in the catch. This is basically due to trawlers that kill baby fish," said Narendra Patil, general secretary of the Maharashtra fishermen action forum.

For instance, the area from Uttan and beyond is known as the gold bed for fish and is famous for its export quality Pomfrets. The fishermen, however, had started netting Pomfrets as light as five grams. "The bottoms of the trawlers that venture into the sea for fishing brush the riverbed, which is home to young fish and the supporting aquatic life. They destroy both the fish and the marine plants, thereby completely hindering the process of their growth," said Patil.

He also informed that in the last 10 days, Vasai fishermen pulled out 80 tubs of 5 gram fish. "If they had let these fish grow to 700 grams to 1kg, they could have reaped huge benefits. Catching these small fish is a 100% loss," he added.

Patil also shared that some fishermen were aware of this issue and they would put the young fish back into water. "We have a policy. If one catches a lobster weighing less than 200 grams, it is put back in the sea. Many fishermen do this and we felicitate them," he added.