Thiruvananthapuram: Expressing their strong opposition to the Dr B. Meena Kumari Commission Report, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, urged the government to reject the Letter of Permit (LoP), which gives permission for deep sea fishing.
The CMFRI has brought out a seven-point objection to the Meena Kumari report. It also rejected the Committee report suggesting permission for 270 new vessels.
It points out that the traditional fishermen of Thoothur harvest approximately 45,000 tonnes annually from the deep-sea region, whereas the LOP vessels report an annual catch of only 1,900 tonnes.
A large number of fishermen organisations have opposed the Committee’s recommendations, alleging that its implementation would adversely affect their livelihood and will lead to their displacement.
The Kerala government and MPs from the State have already demanded scraping the report which suggests deployment of 1,178 deep-sea fishing vessels in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for tapping deep-sea resources.