Fishermen meet Ajit Pawar over illegal nets

Fishermen’s unions have raised a stink over the illegal use of purse seine (large circular) fishing nets by trawlers along the state coast.

Fishermen’s unions have raised a stink over the illegal use of purse seine (large circular) fishing nets by trawlers along the state coast.

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In Sassoon dock, only 159 fishermen have been given permission to use such nets, but around 600 fishermen use these nets illegally. The fishing community believe this has drastically hampered their fish catch.

A delegation of fishermen, led by their union Akhil Maharashtra Machimaar Kriti Samiti, met deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and home minister RR Patil at the Mantralaya last week seeking a ban on purse seine nets.

Purse seine nets can be spread over a 3-km radius, capturing a large number of fish at one time, leaving no catch for smaller fishermen.

“We are left with nothing. Earlier there were around 125 fish species at the shore, now there are only 80. If this continues, marine life will be wiped out in 15 years. The ministers told us these nets from 600 trawlers at Sassoon Dock would be seized and a criminal case would be registered,” says Damodar Tandel, president of Akhil Maharashtra Machimaar Kriti Samiti.