For the first time in the country, the Government of India has decided to impose a uniform ban on fishing by all fishing vessels in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) beyond the territorial waters on the east coast from April 15 to June 14 (61 days). The Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries of the Union Government has issued a directive to this effect to all the State Governments on Tuesday.
The move is aimed for conservation and effective management of fisheries resources and also for sea safety reasons, said a senior official in the Department of Fisheries and Animal Resources Development (DoFARD) of Odisha. DoFARD Secretary Bishnupada Sethi informed all concerned authorities about the ban on Tuesday. Earlier, the State Government used to clamp ban on fishing within its territorial waters (of 6-12 nautical miles) from April 15 to May 31 for conservation of fishery resources.
Now with this uniform ban order clamped by the Centre, fishing in the entire East Coast from 0 to 200 nautical miles fishing ban will be there from April 15 to June 14. In the West Coast, the fishing ban would be effective from June 1 to July 31, the same 61 says, said the order. No fishing vessels would be allowed to enter the territorial waters of other States or Union Territories or in the EEZ.
The Union Government has also issued instruction to the Coast Guard to ensure strict implementation of the fishing ban. The States which would prefer to have fishing ban of less than 61 days in their territorial waters are also advised to reach the 61-day ban period in their territorial waters gradually within a period of five years for the purpose of ensuring uniformity, said an official.
So this allows cushioning to the States and Union Territories to go for less than 61 days now and complete the process during next five years. Experts, however, advise that there should be a uniform ban for 61 days as it helps conservation of fishery resources of the country.