Gujarat govt extends fishing ban till Aug 15; Congress opposes

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat government has decided to extend the ban on fishing activities in the Arabian Sea by a fortnight till August 15, a move the Congress claimed to be "unfair and reckless" which will cause financial losses to fishermen.

A senior official from the Gujarat fisheries department on Sunday said the decision was taken in consultation with the central government after considering a representation made by the fishermen's association to allow more time for fish to breed.

The government also took into account scientific data and weather conditions to reach the decision, he said, adding the change is also likely to be adopted by other states on the western coast.

Since 2021, the annual fishing ban in the state remained in effect from June 1 till July 31.

The state fisheries department on July 31 issued a notification, amending the Gujarat Fisheries (Amendment) Rules, 2020, which stated no person shall carry out any type of fishing in the inland and territorial waters from June 1 to August 15 (a total of 76 days) in a calendar year.

However, state Congress president Shaktisinh Gohil in a statement on Sunday said, "The decision of the Gujarat government to ban fishing till August 15 is unfair and reckless. We request Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and the Government of Gujarat to reconsider and allow the fishermen to go to the sea immediately."

He claimed that the fisheries commissioner issued a circular at 12 noon on July 31, stating that if the weather remains bad on August 1, 2 and 3, then fishermen will not get the token to go for fishing in the sea.

At 7 pm on the same day, another circular was issued announcing a fishing ban till August 15, Gohil said.

"The Cabinet suddenly amends the rules of Fisheries Act 2003 without any discussion with the fishermen. Due to this, fishermen have been pushed into financial loss," he claimed.

With the fishing season set to resume from August 1, fishermen had made arrangements for diesel, ice and food items etc on their boats, the Congress leader said.

Fishermen from far away places had reached Jakhau in Kutch with the idea that the season would start from August 1. They have spent money on train tickets to reach their destination where they will now be forced to sit for another two weeks, Gohil said.

Unlike other states, the Gujarat government does not provide any financial scheme to fishermen who are forced to stay back home for two months during the fishing ban period, he added.

Gujarat Director of Fisheries Narander Kumar Meena said the decision was taken after taking into account representations made by the fishermen's association and the scientific data and weather conditions.

"The fishermen association made a representation to extend the ban period to provide sufficient breeding time for fish to grow during the breeding period. Till 2021, the ban period was from June 10 till August 15, but was later preponed --from June 1 to July 31," he said.

Meena said the latest change has been made in consultation with the central government, and is likely to be adopted by other states on the western coast.

"We also consulted the Government of India. Probably from next year onwards, all western states will follow the same common ban period," he said.

In 2020-21, 36,980 fishing boats were registered with the state government.

The revenue from marine fishing in Gujarat in 2021-22 was Rs 7,659 crore, as per the government.