Fishing resumes in Uttara Kannada, boats set sail on Arabian Sea

Karwar: The fisherfolk in the coastal district of Uttara Kannada have had, in more ways than one, a very dry past month. The curbs on fishing activity during the lockdown has severely impacted their livelihood, but the relaxation in the norms by the Karnataka government has ushered in a slim ray of hope. Fishermen in Karwar returned to the Arabian Sea to resume traditional methods of fishing on Friday after a forced hiatus.
In addition to the traditional boats, small mechanical vessels have been permitted to venture into the sea at all the major ports such as Majali, Karwar, Keni, Kumta, Honnavar, Bhatkal and Murudeshwar across Uttara Kannada.
Deputy director of the department of fisheries P Nagaraju said that as many as 1,514 boats waded into the sea along the Uttara Kannada coast on Friday. “In all, the catch reported across the district came up to 5,638kg, all of which was sold locally,” Nagaraju added.
The department has stipulated that fishing will be permitted as long as those involved practice social distancing. This entails sale of catch immediately, and curbs on the number of people who can assemble at the market. The department has made it clear to both the fishermen and the merchants at the markets that crowds cannot be allowed to gather for purchase of fish. In addition to easing the hardships of the fishermen, the lifting of restrictions on the activity will be greeted with pleasure by the residents of the district, for many of whom fish is a staple diet. For the past month, they have been forced to pay enormous sums to purchase freshwater fish.