The All India Deep Sea Fishers’ Association has urged the state’s minister of fisheries to direct fisheries officers to visit the Kochi fisheries harbour rather than the Vypeen harbour while inspecting long-range fishing vessels for the purpose of renewing their registration.
Given the challenges faced by the more than 350 offshore fishing boats that operate out of Kochi and must immediately renew their licenses, the group made a number of demands in an appeal to the minister. According to organization president Charles George, there are more than 600 of these boats operating off the coast of Kerala, and about half of them have finished the necessary paperwork.
The government must stop requiring that boats from Tamil Nadu hold licenses from that State, according to association secretary M. Majeed. The COVID-19 pandemic restricted fishing activities during those years, and the association’s executives believe that the arrears in registration costs for the years 2019, 2020, and 2021 should be eliminated.
The owners of deep sea fishing vessels also urged that the government abandon fines imposed on boats with paint damage and a deficiency in lifebuoys and life jackets, as well as that more time be granted to boats to renew their licenses online.
