Fishy tale: Vizag’s Tuna in foreign net

By SNV Sudhir

Visakhapatnam, Sept. 13: More and more Sri Lankan fishermen are entering Indian waters to catch tuna fish which is much in demand in European countries as well as the United States and Japan. The fishermen are catching tuna illegally from the Exclusive Economic Zone of India in violation of Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of fishing by foreign vessels) Act of 1981.
Under international provisions, India can lay claim to 200 nautical miles of EEZ with 2.02 million square kms of area. Around 3.9 million tonnes of fish is available in the zone, of which 2.5 lakh tonnes is tuna alone. This tuna has proved to be too much of a temptation for Sri Lankan fishermen. In less than a week, the Indian Coast Guard has captured 20 Sri Lankan fishermen who were illegally fishing in the EEZ and seized the four vessels in which they were travelling.
On August 29, the Indian Coast Guard Ship (ICGS) Sagar patrolling the EEZ found two fishing boats about 42 nautical miles southeast of Vizag harbour. The Sri Lankan fishing boats Chamari Duma with five crew members and Sumundra Dev Mata with six were fishing without any licenses or permits.
In another incident on September 1, nine Sri Lankan fishermen were apprehended by the Coast Guard while they were fishing in Indian waters 99 nautical miles southeast of Vizag. "They were Sri Lankan boats, Sant Odalya with five crew members and Malki Duwa with four crew members," said the Coast Guard deputy commandant, Ms Lalima Sharma.
The Coast Guard also seized 1,800 kg of tuna which was in the possession of the fishermen. They were later handed over to the local harbour police, who booked cases against them under sections 3 and 7 of the MZI Act.
Sri Lankan fishermen often enter the Indian territorial waters on Chennai side but this is the first time they have entered waters off Vizag. The City Police Commissioner, Mr Nanduri Sambasiva Rao, said authorities were looking at ways to release the fishermen. "Already an attaché from the Sri Lankan embassy has come to us," he further added.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police (Security), Mr P. Viswa Prasad, said that the Sri Lankans entered the EEZ only to catch tuna. "There is no sabotage involved," he said. "They just wanted to catch tuna which is in high demand in foreign countries."
Mechanised and motorised craft of India are permitted to operate under licences issued under the Marine Fishing Regulation Act. Each category of fishing boat is given a separate licence for purse-seining, gillnetting, dolnet fishing, hook-and-line fishing and trawling. The zone in which traditional craft conduct fishing is also protected through legislation.
The number of Sri Lankan vessels engaged in tuna fishing has doubled after the increase in demand for the fish in European and US markets. "We have requested the Coast Guard to check such illegal fishing," said Mr Appa Rao, president of the Mechanised Fishing Boat Operators Association. "It would be a huge loss for us if the Sri Lankans net our marine resources," he added.

A big catch
Visakhapatnam, Sept. 13: The depletion in the stocks of shrimp in the Bay of Bengal has forced local traders too to focus on tuna. Around 70 country boats fish tuna in the waters between Vizag and Kakinada and each boat gets a catch of at least 100 to 200 kg in a single voyage. And half of the catch of the local fishermen is purchased by four traders who export them to Japan and the United States from Chennai port. A kilogram of tuna is sold at Rs 60 in local markets and for about five dollars in international markets in Japan and US.
Some mechanised boats have also been converted into tuna liners to catch the fish. Local traders could export tuna worth Rs 129 crore from Vizag last year. The Marine Products Export Development Authority has set en export target of Rs 200 crore this year. MPEDA is also providing subsidy of around Rs 35 lakh per vessel for it to be converted to a tuna liner.


Factfile
* More Sri Lankan vessels enter Indian waters to catch tuna.

* The number of such vessels has doubled recently because of the high demand for tuna in Europe, the United States and Japan.

* Coast Guard has seized many vessels and arrested the fishermen.

* More than 2.5 lakh tonnes of tuna fish is available in Indian Exclusive Economic Zone.