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Joint venture fishing in Indian waters cancelled

All joint venture fishing in Indian waters including charter lease and test fishing have been recommended cancelled, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Monday.

Responding to questions on the recommendations made by the committee constituted by government to study large-scale trawler fishing, minister of state for food processing Dilip Kumar Ray said no renewals or extension of existing licenses will be allowed.

Indian mechanised boats less than 20 metres in size will have exclusive use of waters up to 100 nautical miles from the western coast and 50 nautical miles from the east coast.

In the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshdweep, a distance of fifty nautical miles from the shore would be reserved exclusively for Indian vessels less than 20 metres in length.

As for areas open to vessels above 20 metres in length, resources specific vessels which are de facto Indian-owned and registered vessels will have exclusive rights.

The committee recommended deep sea fishing regulations to be enacted by Parliament after consulting the fishing community.

It also recommended strengthening of the Coast Guard and its equipment with state-of-the-art navigation systems, surveillance, and weaponry to deter poaching by foreign vessels, and observance of zone restrictions by Indian vessels.

The government should also take up the issue of technological upgradation of existing skills among fishermen and also provide funds for mechanisation, the committee said.

Duty concessions and concessional finance should be made available for navigational and fishing equipment aimed at improving competence, it added.

The government should set up fishery authority along the lines of such institutions in other countries, and be responsible for the formulation of policies as well as their implementation, the committee said.

UNI