The Pinarayi Vijayan-leg Kerala government on Wednesday (May 31) decided to ban trawling off the seas for 52 days beginning from June 10 to July 31.
All trawlers are instructed to stay 12 nautical miles off the Kerala seas for 52 days. However, this ban does not extend to traditional fishermen.
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The trawling ban has been a yearly practice in the state since it first came into effect in 1988. The 52-day period ensures that there are no problems in the breeding season of fish.
As per the fisheries department, Kerala reportedly has 222 fishing villages along the coast and the total number of fishermen is said to be over 10 lakh. During the ban, the state government usually provides ration supplies to fishermen and their families as they are not allowed to venture out in the sea.
REHABILITATION FOR FISHERMEN FAMILIES
The Fisheries Department in Kerala has started a fishermen’s families’ rehabilitation program called the Punargaeham scheme. This scheme was to house families that were residing within 50 metres of the High Tide Line (HTL). It was reported earlier that the Kerala government had granted Rs 1,398 crore from the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund for this purpose.
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On May 31, the government allocated 27.61 cents of land in Pettah to St Antony’s School, Valiyathura in Thiruvananthapuram. St Antony’s school had given up its land for the Punargaeham scheme and the government has replaced the land it had acquired.
