Joint patrolling conducted to verify poaching charges made by Thoothukudi fishermen

Officials conduct joint patrolling on ICG ship to address poaching complaints by fishermen in Thoothukudi district.

Officials from different department on Sunday jointly conducted patrolling on an Indian Coast Guard (ICG) ship after receiving complaints that some fishermen from Kanniyakumari district and a few from Kerala were indulging in poaching.

Fishermen from Thoothukudi, Tharuvaikulam and Vembar and other parts of Thoothukudi district have 539 mechanised vessels. Since April 15, they had cannounced boycott of fishing operations, saying officials were allowing their counterparts in other districts to pursue night stay fishing, while they were not.

When the annual ban period was in vogue from Tiruvallur to Kanniyakumari from April 15 to June 14, there was reliable information that fishermen from Kanniyakumari and Kerala were engaged in fishing, they said.

As a sequel, authorities from multiple departments ventured into the sea on ICG ship Adesh for inspection. Using radar to scan a distance of about 20 nautical miles, the patrolling teams said they did not spot any poaching.

Meanwhile, the fishermen in the district demanded a permanent solution to the issue and stayed off the sea even before the ban period commenced.

About a month ago, they caught and detained some fishermen from Kanniyakumari district in the sea. After intervention from the government and talks held by district authorities, they let off the detained men but refused to release their vessels or the catch.