According to fishermen from Seruthur, “reckless” trawlers broke our fishing nets

At least eight groups of fishermen from Seruthur village in the Keelaiyur block of the district reported that on Wednesday night, “reckless” trawlers broke their fishing nets. The fishermen, who came ashore with damaged nets and a wounded heart, called for the culprits—whom they suspected to be from both Karaikal and the district—to be held accountable.

The fishermen said that after leaving Seruthur on Wednesday night in motorized boats, they came with trawlers traveling at a fast pace at many locations along the coast between Kameswaram and Kodiyakarai. “We were fishing when our crab nets were quickly ripped through by a Karaikal high-speed trawler.

Fishermen’s spokesman P Muruganpandi said, “My crew and I watched helplessly and returned to the beach empty-handed. “My survival from Wednesday night’s careless trawling was nothing short of a miracle. Close to Kameswaram, we were fishing.

A trawler almost crashed into our boat after slicing through our net. The fisherman from Seruthur, V Dharman, reported that the trawler had a Nagapattinam registration number. The Tamil Nadu Fisheries Regulation Act states that a motorized boat’s maximum speed allowed for an engine is 25 knots, whereas a mechanized boat’s maximum speed is 240 knots.

Boat speeds over 240 knots are prohibited because they encourage indiscriminate fishing, which yields a significant quantity of non-commercial bycatch. Nevertheless, a number of vessels from coastal delta areas persist in installing illicit engines to engage in high-speed trawling, so forcing fishermen using low-power motor boats out of business.

“We have scheduled a meeting for next week with representatives of the fishermen and the Karaikal fisheries department. Before we file a lawsuit, we will ask them to stop engaging in illicit fishing,” a Nagapattinam fisheries department officer said.