Paradip: Decline in marine fish population has posed a serious threat to the fishery business in this port town and rendered scores of fishermen jobless, a report said Thursday.
The fishing harbour in this town, which was once abuzz with activities, now wears a gloomy look with a visible slump in fishing activities. Things have come to such a pass that many boats have stopped venturing into the sea for fishing.
While some of them are berthed at the fishing harbour, some others can be found parked at the dry dock meant for boat repairing. Arabinda Swain, secretary of Odisha Marine Fish Producers Association (OMPA) said that fishing in sea is a major means of earning livelihood for scores of fishermen in unorganised sector.
Out of the 559 functional boats only 10 per cent now go to the sea for fishing. While fish traders are struggling to stay afloat in the business, the twomonth ban on fishing which is going to be imposed soon will further hit them hard, he said, adding that all the boats will stop venturing into the sea for two months from April 15, as per the government order.
OMPA president Srikant Parida said that over 50,000 people are directly or indirectly dependent on the Paradip fishing harbour for their livelihood.
It is a major avenue of employment and no other sector gives employment to so many people like fishing. He said that the state government is receiving lot of foreign exchange from fish exports but has done little for the development of the fishing harbour and fishermen.
The Paradip fishing harbour alone exported 2,00,602 metric tonne of fish in 2022-23 FY, he said. Meanwhile, the Centre has imposed ban on fishing in West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, Andaman Nicobar islands on the eastern coast from April 15 to June 14 for a period of 61 days to allow the growth of fish population in the sea.
Similar ban has also been imposed in Gujarat, Goa, Daman, Diu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Lakshadweep on the western coast from June 1 to July 31 for a period of 61 days.
Parida demanded the state government to intervene and supply them diesel at concessional rates, construction of cold storages and financial assistance to the fishermen during the fishing ban period. He said that the fish catch has dropped sharply while the rise in fuel price has served a blow to their business.
With a sharp drop in catch, fish traders suffer heavy loss in comparison to the expenses they incur in their business. As a result, they have voluntarily withdrawn from fish business due to drop in fish catch and ever increasing in establishment and maintenance costs.
A local fisherman TB Ramanna said that fish catch has dropped as the fish are escaping to the deep sea due to blow of southern wind. Gone are those days when fishermen used to catch fish from the sea for 12 months in a year.
Environmentalist and engineer Amaresh Naresh Samant blamed climate change, rampant industrialisation and increasing environmental pollution for decline in fish population in the sea. Another main reason is the use of ring nets and phasi nets that catch the mother fish along with the fingerlings, Samant said.
PNN
