Promising start to fishing season

The first catch of fish after the 47-day-long trawl ban was lifted, has brought new hope for the fishing community. On Wednesday, the first boat which reached Vypeen Harbour around 4 pm contained fish worth `1.30 lakh.

“The season seems to be promising, with plenty of fish compared to last year. The first catch gave a rich haul of Kilimeen (Thread Fin Bream). We left the harbour by 2.30 am and spread our nets in the waters near Alappuzha and only three hours  later, returned with a promising haul. We sold the fish for over `1.30 lakh,” said Venu, captain of Nimithamol, which was the first boat to arrive at the Vypeen Harbour.

However, fishermen were disappointed with the Karaikudi catch. “Karaikudi is the fish we hope to catch on the very first day after the trawling ban. But the haul has not been very impressive. It seems that the Karaikudi fish have moved to the northern part of the state’s coastline or to the Karnataka region. The quantity of Kanava variety is  also meagre,” a boat owner said.

The auctioneers at the harbour said that the price of the fish in the initial days will be high.

 “The price is around `60 in the market on the first day for Kilimeen. But after about a week, prices will come down drastically,” said C K Sadique, an auctioneer from Vypeen.

Meanwhile, All-Kerala Fishing Boat Owners Association president Joseph Xavier said that it would be incorrect to make any predictions about the season, based on the initial catch.

“This year the rains have been quite sparse, and this would naturally affect fish breeding. Several boats that have gone out into the deep sea for fishing, are yet to return. We can predict the season only after a few more days,” Joseph Xavier said.