Traditional fishermen and trawl boat operators are moving towards a face-off over reports of bull trawling (two-boat trawling) on waters off the Kochi coast and within the 22-kilometer inshore area over which the Kerala Marine Fishing Regulation Act 1980 applies.
Traditional fishermen are anxious because “pelagic trawling,” if taking place within the 22-kilometer inshore area and at the depth of 10 fathoms, is a threat to resources reserved for them and an assault on their livelihood. But the rapidly ballooning cost of operations and the recent sharp fall in the prices of cuttlefish and squids have forced trawl boat operators to trespass into others’ territory.
Pelagic species are those that spend most of their lives in the mid-water, with little contact with the seabed. It includes anchovies, herrings and mackerels, and fish that gather to spawn.
