No plan to change 47-day trawling ban: Minister

Minister for Fisheries K Babu says the ban will begin only from June 15

Minister for Fisheries K Babu has said the state government has no plan to make any change  in the 47-days of trawling ban in Kerala, adding, the ban will begin only from June 15.

He was speaking after the  foundation stone laying  for a new PG Hostel for men at the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS).

"The Centre’s new policy of extending  trawling ban to 61 days has caused a crisis in fisheries sector of the State. The 61-day trawling ban proposed by the Centre is actually a total ban on fishing. The new policy, which has been formed unilaterally  without considering the particular conditions of the State. This  will badly affect the traditional fishermen in Kerala. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had conveyed this to the Union Minister for Agriculture,  but no decision  from the Union Ministry. The Centre should consider the new report prepared and submitted by Central  Marine Fisheries Research  Institute (CMFRI) scientists recently," Babu said.