There is nothing surprising in fishermen from Tamil Nadu venturing out into the Sri lankan waters in search for fish and other marine products. The fish and aquatic wealth along Tamil Nadu coast has decreased more than 25 per cent over the last couple of years forcing the fishermen from the State to trespass into Sri lankan territory.
This was disclosed by officials of the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) and Seafood Exporters Association of India (SEAI) in a media interaction at Chennai on Thursday.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa has been writing to the Prime Minister about the frequent arrests of fishermen from the State by the Sri lankan Navy. In a letter sent to the Prime Minister last week, Jayalalithaa said 275 fishermen are languishing in Sri lankan jails while the Navy of the island nation has taken into custody 84 boats.
“The repressive lankan Navy is establishing its authoritarian presence in the Palk Bay by chasing and arresting unarmed innocent fishermen from Tamil Nadu,.” Jayalalithaa had written in the letter.
Though both MPEDA and SEAI officials were silent about the controversy over the arrest of fishermen from Tamil Nadu, they were unanimous in the view that fisheries wealth in the Tamil Nadu coast has come down alarmingly. “Unsustainable fishing practices followed by fishermen are the main reason behind this fall in marine wealth. Over exploitation of coastal waters has added to our woes. It is time we exploited our exclusive economic zone in an effective manner. We should encourage deep sea fishing in a big way,” said A J Tharakan, president, SEAI.
He blamed bottom trawling for the reduction in fish wealth in the Indian coast. “Unless we find out alternate livelihood for the traditional fishermen, the country’s aquatic wealth is all set to be depleted soon,” said Tharakan.