Tamil Nadu’s 61-day annual fishing ban begins on April 15

Annual 61-day fishing ban in Tamil Nadu starts April 15, 2025, impacting 809 mechanised boats in Chennai.

The annual 61-day-long fishing ban along the coasts of Tamil Nadu will begin on April 15, 2025. In Chennai, a total of 809 mechanised boats will remain ashore till mid-June. 

Meanwhile, the Fisheries Department has directed traditional fishermen not to fish in the waters off Andhra Pradesh since the State has banned traditional craft too. In Tamil Nadu, traditional craft are allowed to fish during the ban. 

“There have been issues in the past when our fishermen venture into Andhra Pradesh’s waters and are caught by locals there. They get beaten up and their catch and nets confiscated. We should avoid such incidents,” said a retired official of the department. 

On Sunday (April 13), the last weekend before the ban, fish prices at the Kasimedu fishing harbour clambered quite a bit. Seer fish (vanjaram) was sold at ₹900-₹1000 a kilo, white pomfret (vellai vavval) at ₹1100/kg, red snapper (sankara) ₹500-₹600/kg, and sardine (mathi) at ₹100-20/kg. 

During the ban period, with non-availability of fish caught by fishermen from Tamil Nadu, fish from Kerala and Karnataka are usually sold in markets. People also flock to fishing hamlets to purchase from fishermen as they land their boats.