T. Peter, secretary of the National Fish workers Forum (NFF), has said that The Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Act 2009, in its present form, will be strongly opposed by fish workers all over the country. He added that the Act “appears to be completely inimical to traditional fish workers.” He said that NFF was the first forum to demand a Marine Fisheries Act for India. “It was mainly to control the operation of foreign fishing vessels on Indian waters. But, paradoxically the draft Bill contains provisions that discourage traditional fish workers from deep sea fishing, which in turn would help foreign fishing vessels to take over those waters. The draft Bill even proposes docking facilities for foreign vessels,” he pointed out.The NFF wanted the traditional fishing sector to be excluded from the purview of the Act, he said.“These fishermen already have State government permits. Asking them to go for a Central government registration is like asking vehicle owners to cancel State registrations and take a Central one,” Mr. Peter said.The Act would also nullify the Kerala Marine Fisheries Regulation Act 1980 and the Kerala Monsoon Fishery (Pelagic) Protection Act 2007. Moreover, while the proposed Central Act mentions that the Coast Guard would be the enforcement agency, it did not mention which would be the registration agency.
“The draft Bill was prepared without consulting anyone from the traditional fishing sector. Though the draft Bill is in circulation, the text is in English. Traditional fishermen, who are the main stakeholders, must be given a copy of the same in their language to understand things better and make suggestions,” he said.However, Mr. Peter said, the fishermen were willing to cooperate with provisions of the Act that aimed at conservation and regeneration of fish stock and ensure fishing in an environmentally sustainable manner, apart from maintenance of law and order in the maritime zones of the country.
The Hindu, 14th October 2009
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