Gujarat: Valsad fishermen strike work, search state govt intervention | Ahmedabad Information

Fishermen from Jafrabad, alternatively, referred to as the allegations baseless and accused the South Gujarat fishermen of attacking them and looting their fish and costly gear.

On Sunday, over 700 fishing boats had been seen anchored on the shore with the fishermen of 10 villages in Umargam taluka of Valsad district assembled at Nargol port for a protest. They alleged they had been being bullied by the fishermen of Jafrabad, Porbandar and different areas in Saurashtra, including that they had made a number of representations to authorities involved however to no avail.

Nargol fishermen neighborhood chief Shailesh Hodiwala stated, “We now have been into fishing actions for generations. Round a decade in the past, the fishermen of Nargol and different neighbouring coastal villages (in South Gujarat) had reached a mutual understanding with fishermen of Jafrabad that they’d perform fishing of their space whereas we might do it in ours. Nevertheless, they adopted this for just one yr earlier than going again to their outdated methods.”

He additional stated, “Now they’ve entered 9 nautical mile areas into the ocean in Valsad, and perform field fishing. Their boats are superior and outfitted with the most recent expertise, carrying 12 to fifteen crew members at a time. Alternatively, our boats are easy and carry round six individuals at a time.”

Field fishing is a phenomenon by which fishing nets tied with plastic pipes are inserted into the ocean water the place they’re stored for a few days. Hodiwala stated, “Resulting from field fishing from their facet, we don’t get house for ourselves. Our nets additionally get broken. They’re massive in numbers and we can’t struggle them… We’re being disadvantaged of our livelihood.”

Manish Tandel, fishermen neighborhood president of Nargol’s neighbouring Lodhari village, stated, “We’re frightened of going alone deep into the ocean now and enterprise out solely in teams of 15 to twenty boats. As a result of presence of corals and different marine species within the coastal space of Valsad, varied species of fish resembling Bombay duck, Pomfret, lobsters, and so on are present in massive portions right here. These fishes are in excessive demand in eating places in Maharashtra and Gujarat and are even exported to overseas international locations. We request the Collector and the federal government to intervene within the matter and give you a method that enables either side to fish of their respective areas.”

Sources among the many fishermen neighborhood in Nargol stated that this yr, round 5 run-ins have taken place between fishermen of Jafrabad and Valsad in sea. Typically, the fishermen loot the cache of the opposite facet and velocity away, they added. Stone-pelting incidents and scuffle have additionally taken place, sources stated.

Jafrabad Boat Affiliation’s Kanaiyalal Solanki stated, “Their fishermen thrash our colleagues in deep sea areas and even loot our fish together with fishing nets. We’re able to compromise however won’t agree with their demand of taking on 50 per cent of the territory.” On allegations of field fishing, he stated, “Field fishing is just not unlawful; it’s carried out by fishermen of various states.”

Final month, a fisherman of Jafrabad had lodged a police criticism in opposition to unidentified fishermen, suspected to be from Valsad, alleging that his boat was pelted with stones on November 9 by just a few individuals who threatened him in opposition to fishing within the space. Porbandar marine police have began a probe within the incident. No arrest has been made to date.