Karwar: About 50 boats belonging to Dakshina Kannada district have been anchored near Karwar port for the last three days raising eyebrows. Rumour has it they have been seized by patrolling security for illegal fishing activities within five nautical miles of the Arabian Sea off Karwar coast.

However Indian Coast Guard (ICG) officials denied this report on Thursday stating they had not seized any boats for the last couple of weeks. The boats have been anchored near Karwar port from Tuesday evening. It is said following heavy winds in the Arabian Sea, it is not safe for the boats to travel to their destination. By Friday, the wind speed at the deep sea may reduce and the boats will return to Mangaluru and Malpe.

Bull trawling continues Maximum number of boats in the Karwar area is engaged in bull trawling which is banned by the state and district administration of Uttara Kannada, officials said. The fishermen want more profit and hence use bull trawling but this is causing extinction of many species of marine life, they said.

The fishermen are violating rules by taking up bull trawling and light fishing in the deep sea. We have caught many cases while patrolling. They should stick to the rules, they added. When asked about seizing fishing boats in the deep sea and bringing them back to the port, they said ICG ships carry out regular coastal patrolling to ensure no foreign boats enter Indian waters as well as to establish the identity of all fishermen. It was made mandatory to carry ID cards and boat documents. However, many fail to do so, they said.

Meanwhile, some fishermen said they are planning to submit a memorandum to the Deputy Commissioner about the problems they were facing while fishing.

ENS