Fishermen urge Centre to ‘extend ban on mechanised vessels to 120 days’

Kolkata: The Purba Medinipur Matsyajibi Forum (PMMF), a branch organisation of the Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum, the largest small-scale fishworkers’ body has written to the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying urging for an extension in the ban period for mechanised vessels in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

The organisation in its letter has reiterated the importance of sustainable fisheries for the health of the coastal and marine ecosystems and for the continued existence of livelihoods.

The ways of life have been greatly harmed by the continued presence of destructive and unregulated mechanized fishing that has been devastating fisheries all along the Indian coastline and particularly off the coast of West Bengal, the letter pointed out.

“Given that the government of India imposes the ban period on mechanized fishing vessels for conservation and effective management of fishery resources, we would request that this ban period should be extended to a period of 120 days from its current duration of 61 days. This would introduce a most desirable hiatus to the devastation caused by the destructive fishing methods of these mechanized vessels and would be an important means of achieving the goal of saving and protecting marine biodiversity, ensuring the continued survival of small-scale fishworkers’ livelihoods,” reads the letter.