No smooth sailing for fishermen

Financial constraints ground 50% of fishing vessels this season

This fishing season, which began on June 1, only 50 per cent of the fishing vessels have ventured into the sea. Normally, about 90 per cent of the trawlers and mechanised boats go fishing, particularly in the beginning of the season every year.

But this year, owing to scarcity of working capital many trawler and mechanised boat operators have stayed back.

"Of the 60 trawlers operating from the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, only around 28 have left for fishing. Other trawler operators are not keen on fishing due to financial problems," S K Aggarwal, president of Association of Indian Fishery Industries (AIFI), told Business Standard.

After the 45-day lay-off period, operators need to invest at least Rs 12 lakh in each trawler for repairs, fuel, insurance, engine lubricants, rations and other requirements before venturing into the sea.

According to Aggarwal, many members are not in a position to invest these funds. Besides, they are not getting any help from financial institutions, even on mortgage of trawlers.

Mechanised boat operators are also plagued by the same problem. Usually, it's the small and medium entrepreneurs who operate mechanised boats as the maintenance cost is less. Mechanised boat operators need at least Rs 10,000 to run a boat per day.

"Previously, seafood exporters used to finance the boat operators. But now due to decrease in shrimp catches and fall in shrimp purchasing prices, seafood exporters are not in a position to help the operators. It's because of these reasons that only around 300 boats out of the 600 boats went from the Visakhapatnam fishing harbour during this fishing season," P C Appa Rao, president of Andhra Pradesh Mechanised Boat Operators' Association, told Business Standard.

Around 50 per cent of mechanised boats that operate from other fishing harbours like Kakinada, Machilipatnam and Krishnapatnam are still resting only due to financial problems, he said.

Though the state and central governments announced diesel subsidy for mechanised boats at about Rs 4.8 per litre a year back, they have not released the amount till date, Rao added.