Fishing activities in Kerala halted as fishermen protest against offshore mining

The Fisheries Coordination Committee (FCC), comprising of members of trade unions allied to the Left parties and the Congress, called a 24-hour ‘coastal hartal’ (strike) from Thursday midnight

Kochi: The Kerala fisheries industry including fish landing centres, fishing trawlers and fish markets went on strike on Thursday in protest against the Union government’s move to auction five blocks off the state’s coast to mine sand and other minerals from the sea.

Fishing boats anchored at the Vizhinjam harbour as the Fisheries Coordination Committee called for a 24-hour statewide coastal strike (PTI)

The Fisheries Coordination Committee (FCC), consisting of members from trade unions allied with the Left parties and Congress, called for a 24-hour ‘coastal hartal’ (strike), starting from Thursday.

With fishing vessels anchored to the coast and fish sales and processing units striking work on Thursday, a large number of fishermen participated in protest meetings across the state. They raised concerns that offshore mining near the Kerala coast will harm the marine ecosystem, particularly fish populations, threatening the livelihoods of fish workers.

The Centre has auctioned five blocks in the state — Kollam South, Kollam North, Alappuzha, Ponnani, and Chavakkad — but fishing groups argue that the Quilon Bank off the Kollam coast, a highly productive fishing area home to species like sardines and mackerel, will be closed to fish workers due to mining operations.

“This is a question of our survival. If we lose here, the fishing community will cease to exist. We will oppose the mining process at any cost,” FCC member Peter Mathias said.

The Union government’s decision to pursue offshore mining in Kerala is based on findings from the Geological Survey of India (GSI), which estimates that around 302 million tonnes of construction-grade sand can be harvested from the state’s blocks. The mining depth ranges from 48.4 metres to 62.4 metres.

In addition to Kerala, similar blocks have been put up for auction in Gujarat and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

“No environmental studies have been conducted to estimate the impact of the mining on the marine resources and the coast. No efforts have been made to convince the people of the coast that this is a good move. It sounds like a mysterious plan,” AR Kannan, a member of the Congress-allied fishing trade union wing, said.

Kerala’s minister for law, industries, and coir, P Rajeev, said that the state government had opposed the plan to open the state’s coast for offshore mining on three occasions. “The first opposition was raised at a roadshow organised by the union ministry of mines in Kochi on January 11, followed by a second objection at the 64th Central Geological Programming board meeting in Bhubaneswar on January 19. The third objection was made through a letter sent on February 13 by the principal secretary of the industries department,” he said.

“Congress MPs did not raise objections when the amendments were proposed in 2022 to the Offshore Areas Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha,” said Rajeev.

The fishermen’s community and allied unions have planned a march to the Parliament on March 12 as part of the protests.