Raising serious concerns over a threat to coastal security the Akhil Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti (AMMKS) has sought the intervention of the central government authorities for initiating rectification measures at the earliest.
In his letter emailed to union cabinet minister of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairying Parshottam Rupala, president of AMMKS-Devendra Damodar Tandel has highlighted the contents of the recent map released by the Global Fish Watch Data which shows that areas fished the most by Indian boats which are equipped with Automatic Identification System (AIS) tracking transponders.
Notably, as part of the security measures taken post 26/11 Mumbai terror attack which witnessed Pakistani terrorists sailing to the shore on a hijacked Indian boat, the central government had mandated installation of the high-tech transponders on all fishing vessels which are more than 20 metres long in 2009.
Question mark on the efficiency of state fisheries machinery
However, according to Tandel none of the 20,000 plus registered fishing vessels of traditional fishermen from the state are more than 14 meters long, thus raising a serious question mark on the efficiency of the state fisheries machinery. Tandel further states that the data clearly indicates that a lot of illegal fishing activities is taking place on the west coast of India by foreign and corporate fishing vessels as they are venturing inside the 12 nautical miles of the state boundary while hinting on the vulnerability of the security agencies shouldering the responsibility of protecting the western waters from infringement by terror outfits. This considering the presence of sensitive establishments like the nuclear power plant of Tarapur in Palghar and at a time when the 26/11 terror attacks are still fresh in our minds.
Apart from urging the need of reviewing the marine security apparatus for the safety of the state and country, the email also highlights concerns over the fear of displacement of traditional fishermen and loss of their livelihoods due to damaging projects like crude oil refineries being planned in rich source of fish catchment areas in Ratnagiri and the proposed Vadhvan Port in Palghar which bound to spell doom for the local fishing community.
