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AP fishing boats drop anchor

Our Bureau

VISAKHAPATNAM, Aug. 16

MECHANISED fishing boats in Andhra Pradesh dropped anchor on Thursday, going on an indefinite strike to focus the attention of the Government on spiralling input costs and unremunerative prices for shrimp catches offered by seafood exporters.

Nearly 3,000 mechanised boats operating from the coast would keep off fishing operations till the grievances are redressed by the Central and State Governments.

The stir, affecting the livelihood of 60 lakh fishermen, is in demand for sales tax exemption on diesel, besides a ban on both poaching by foreign vessels and catching of wild seed from the sea.

The Visakhapatnam fishing harbour, the operational headquarters of the country's deep-sea fishing, wore a deserted look on Thursday, except for scattered meetings of agitated fishermen.

While nearly 600 mechanised vessels, which account for a significant chunk of the shrimp landings in the State, lay anchored at the fishing harbour here, boats operating from Kakinada, Nizampatnam, Kalingapatnam, Nellore and Bandar also returned to their bases as part of the agitation.

Mr Ch. Satyanarayana Murthy, General Secretary of the Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators' Welfare Association, told Business Line that both mini-trawlers and trawlers had expressed solidarity with the fishermen and might join the protest action.

The agitation could lead to a daily revenue loss of Rs 4 crore on fishing besides affecting employment of lakhs of fishermen.

The demands include cancelling the decision of the Vizag Port Trust to revise the monthly berth charges for fishing vessels from Rs 239 to Rs 2,069.

The fishermen had begun the fishing season on June 1 after a 45-day lay-off in operations.