Chennai fishermen's body files plea against govt order

Chennai: A fishermen’s association has approached the Madras high court to quash a government order, which prohibits fishing by mechanized fishing vessels, motorized country crafts and using mechanized fishing techniques in a radius of five nautical miles around potential nesting and breeding sites of sea turtles.  

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R. Mahadevan before whom the PIL filed by Then India Meenavar Welfare Association by its president V. Sankar came up for hearing, ordered notice, returnable by November 28 to the state government and posted the matter along with suo motu taken up PIL.

In his PIL, Sankar submitted that the order of September 27, 2016, prohibiting fishing in almost the entire sea coast of TN, poor fishermen and their families would be seriously prejudiced, put to starvation and poverty.   

Deep sea fishing vessels had allegedly butchered 35 turtles which had been washed ashore, according to the newspaper report, he said. He submitted that country boat, catamaran and traditional boats were small boats lesser than 15 meters and having motor less than 25 horse power.

These boats do not have any mechanized method of fishing and were incapable of voyaging into deep sea. Country boats and catamaran were incapable of doing any trawl fishing or bottom fishing using rollers. Therefore, the prohibition directly affects the life and livelihood of those fishermen using physical means of fishing through country boats and catamaran, he added.