Mechanised boat venturing into sea with the crew lighting sparklers from Thoothukudi on Monday.

| Photo Credit: N. RAJESH

Following the end of the 61-day annual fishing ban along the Tamil Nadu coast, mechanised boat fishermen from Kanniyakumari and Thoothukudi have ventured into the sea. Notably in Thoothukudi, many fishermen set sail in the early hours of Monday, defying the weather warning issued by the meteorological department.As per the Marine Fishing Regulation Act 1983, the eastern coastal region of Tamil Nadu stretching from Tiruvallur district to Kanniyakumari is declared a fish breeding zone from April 15 to June 14 every year.Accordingly, around 567 mechanised boats, including 254 in Thoothukudi, 280 in Tharuvaikulam and 33 in Vembar remained docked during the ban. Similarly in Kanniyakumari district around 325 boats were docked in Chinna Mutton. However boats from Colachel and Thengapattanam have docked now, as the west coast of the district follows the ban period from June 1 to July 31.The boat owners utilized the period for the maintenance and repair, which were inspected and approved by the authorities concerned from the fisheries department before granting clearance to resume fishing.With the ban period officially ended on Saturday, preparations began for resuming fishing from Monday, with loading their boats with nets, fuel, ice blocks and provisions.However, the Meteorological Department has issued a warning about strong westerly winds along the southern coast of Tamil Nadu, Gulf of Mannar and the adjoining comorin sea. Winds were expected to blow speeds of 45 to 55 kmph with gusts reaching up to 65 kmph. Based on this, fisheries department officials advised fishermen not to venture into the sea until June 17.Despite the warnings of both the meteorological and fisheries department, most mechanised boat fishermen from Thoothukudi set out at sea in the early hours of Monday, while most of them from Tharuvaikulam had already departed on Sunday night.Speaking to The Hindu, an official from the Thoothukudi fisheries department said that fines would be imposed on boats that violated the advisory and stern actions taken against the repeat offenders in the future. Published - June 16, 2025 07:24 pm IST