Kendrapada: The fisheries department has announced a compensation package of Rs 15,000 for marine fishermen affected by the annual fishing ban in Kendrapada and Jagatsinghpur districts. The compensation will benefit around 15,000 fishermen. The amount has been doubled this year from the Rs 7,500 fishermen got till last year.
“We will soon disburse the compensation amount to the affected fishermen,” said Bijay Kar, assistant fisheries officer (AFO), Paradip.
Narayan Haldar, president of Odisha Matsyajibi Forum (OMF), welcomed the govt decision to enhance the compensation from Rs 7,500 to Rs 15,000. “The govt should also provide alternative livelihood to the fishermen during the ban period,” he said.
Arjun Mandal, a marine fisherman of Batighar village in Kendrapada, said, “Around 20,000 marine fishermen of both districts depend on the sea to eke out their livelihoods. The govt should provide compensation to all fishermen.”
The ban, implemented under Section 4 of the Odisha Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1982, prohibits mechanised fishing vessels from venturing into the sea during the breeding season. The restriction extends to 12 nautical miles off the Odisha coast.
Small mechanised and non-mechanised boats less than 8.5-m-long, using nets with large gaps, are exempted from the ban. Traditional fishermen are also allowed to continue fishing in territorial waters, but only for pelagic fish species.
First introduced in 1998, the trawling ban aims to protect nearly 300 fish species, including the popular hilsa, during their spawning season. “The ban period is crucial for conserving fisheries resources, protecting mother fish and their young ones from depletion,” Kar said.
The measure is part of the govt’s broader conservation efforts to maintain sustainable fish populations along the Odisha coast.