Fishing in the deep sea: TN fishermen assault Mangaluru vessels

An international conflict has reportedly been sparked by fishermen from Tamil Nadu attacking many Mangaluru fishing boats in the previous two months over ribbon fish or Pambole fish caught in the deep sea.

Leader of the fisherman, Chethan Bengre, said that because of the decreasing harvest, fishermen sometimes choose to capture ribbon fish in the deep sea for use as a meal. Tamil Nadu fisherman assaulted and destroyed a number of Mangaluru fishing vessels. Without any warning, fishing nets, boats, and other items were dumped into the lake. Numerous fishing vessels experienced losses up to thousands of rupees. We have alerted State Minister Mankal Vaidya and the Central Fisheries Minister about it,” he said.

“Deep sea fishing is popular in our region among fishermen from Tamil Nadu and other states, but we have never opposed it. Beyond twelve nautical miles, there are no limitations. I asked the national fisheries minister I spoke with to develop a “one nation, one law” for fishing that would apply to all coastal states in order to address these kinds of problems. In the deep water, there ought to be no limitations, he said.

According to a fishing boat owner, Mangaluru boats have ceased going into the deep sea, particularly in Kanyakumari and other locations, after they were assaulted by fishermen from Tamil Nadu.

In November and December, there were attacks on a number of Mangaluru-based vessels. Despite losing money due to a declining harvest of fish, fishermen are staying out of the water in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, he added.

The New Indian Express was informed by Siddaiah D, Joint Director of Fisheries, Mangaluru, that several owners of fishing boats had reported the assaults to the department. The Tamil Nadu government has now been contacted by the Karnataka administration. We have requested that the fisherman who assaulted our boats be held accountable by the Tennessee police. Additionally, Mankal Vaidya promised to meet with the heads of fishermen’s unions and the ministers of fisheries from every coastal state in order to draft legislation that would safeguard the interests of fishermen.