‘Small-mesh nets a threat to fishing industry’

Fishing trawlers in Gujarat have been increasingly using small-mesh nets to catch fish and are entering zones that are meant for traditional fishermen who do not use mechanized boats,according to a report by Greenpeace India. The report said small-mesh nets trap adolescent fish which in turn,endanger subsequent generations of fish.

“Almost all trawlers use the smallest mesh sizes of 8-12 mm in the cod end- the the part of the trawl where the fish are caught. This results in over fishing which is in violation of the State Fisheries Act,” said the report titled “Safeguard or squander: Deciding the future of India’s fisheries” which was released in Delhi on Friday by Basudev Acharia,Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture.

The report,which details various problems being faced in each of the country’s nine coastal states,warned that depleting fish-stocks would adversely affect the 15-million people who are involved in the fisheries industry and would endanger marine life,could lead to “massive job losses” and “hurt” to India’s GDP. Fisheries contribute to 1-2% of India’s GDP and has an average annual output of Rs. 42,178 crore.

“Current levels of mechanized fishing are ecologically unsustainable and can never employ the millions that currently depend on non-mechanised fisheries for their livelihood,” said a Greenpeace campaigner.