A view of the tuna fishing harbour at Tiruvottiyur Kuppam in Chennai
| Photo Credit: B. Jothi Ramalingam
Fishermen in Chennai have urged the Tamil Nadu government to train them in tuna gill-net fishing and provide loans for the purchase of specialised boats and nets.If the tuna fishing harbour constructed at a cost of ₹200 crore at Tiruvottiyur Kuppam is to be put to use, fishermen must have the skills to catch quality tuna suitable for export, said M.D. Dayalan of the Indian Fishermen Association.“In Tamil Nadu, only fishermen from areas near Kanniyakumari know how to catch tuna in the deep sea. If the fish caught is to be exported, it needs to be processed immediately, which means the boats must have specialised storage facilities. Loans were provided to fishermen in the south to help them buy large boats and encourage them to venture into the deep sea. We need similar support here. The livelihoods of fishermen using the nearby Kasimedu harbour will then see a marked improvement,” said community leader M.E. Raghupathi.
The harbour, which was envisaged as far back as 2015, was opened for use some time ago but is currently under lock and key
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