Defying the 45-day monsoon trawling ban by the Kerala government, around 1,000 fishermen in more than 30 trawling boats ventured out into the sea from the Mattanchery-Thodupu-zha side, here today.
The ban, which came into force on June 14 midnight, is aimed at stopping large-scale fishing by mechanised vessels having powerful inboard engines and motorised winches, during the breeding season of fishes.
The police and the marine enforcement officials, deployed to implement the ban, remained mute spectators as a group of 30 boats having inboard engines, with each boat manned by around 35 fishermen, set sail scuttling the ban and resorted to fishing using purse-seine, pelagic and mid-water nets.
South Indian Boat Operators
