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Hit hard by the fuel price hike, fishing boat operators are asking the State government to support them by earmarking a small fund from its increased revenue from petroleum products.
Boat operators pointed out that the day-to-day rise in fuel cost forced them to forego at least ₹1 lakh towards each sea venture. At the same time, the dwindling catch did not compensate for the fuel costs. They said a trawling boat spends around ₹5 lakh for a five-day venture into the seas and it is difficult to get enough returns after spending a huge amount on fuel.
Joseph Xavier Kalapurackal, general secretary of the All-Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association, told BusinessLine that the fuel price hike, coupled with the impact of Covid, has affected the livelihood of more than three lakh people dependent on the fishery sector directly or indirectly.
Allow Kerala fishing boats to venture into deep sea, plead operators
Besides mechanised boat owners, traditional fishermen are also adversely affected, especially since fishes on the Kerala coast are reportedly migrating to neighbouring states. This has forced fishermen to venture deeper into the sea, but the fuel price hike is a major deterrent.
Permit fee hike
The association also alerted Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that the hike in permit fee — between ₹4,500 and ₹52,000, depending on the boat length — has badly affected the sector. It pointed out that other maritime states levied ₹500-3,000 per year. Though the Kerala government reduced the upper limit to ₹26,500 after repeated representations, there has been no order to this effect so far.
A majority of the boat owners have incurred debt after Covid affected their income. Moreover, the Fisheries Department imposes nearly ₹2.5 lakh fine even for simple violations, Kalapurackal said.
Fishing boat operators want trawling ban on west coast cut to 30 days
As the fishery sector gears up for a new season after the 52-day monsoon trawling ban, which ends on July 31, the association has requested the Chief Minister to intervene for the sustainable development of the sector.
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