THRISSUR/ERNAKULAM: Kerala's Fisheries Department has seized 25 tonnes of undersized fish and imposed fines totalling Rs 10 lakh on four fishing boats in Thrissur and Ernakulam districts under Operation Paithal, a statewide enforcement drive launched on November 13 to stop juvenile fishing across the state's nine coastal districts, The South First reported.

Source: The South First

At Elankunnapuzha in Ernakulam, officials detained three boats, including one named Atlas, during day-and-night harbour inspections, Malayala Manorama reported. Fisheries Deputy Director P.P. Sindhu imposed a fine of Rs 2.5 lakh on each boat, and the department auctioned 20 tonnes of seized undersized fish for Rs 1.2 lakh. A patrol led by Assistant Director K.P. Grace took one of the boats into custody, and the joint operation included coastal police and sea guards.

Source: Malayala Manorama via UrbanAcres

Five tonnes seized off the Chettuva coast

Off the Thrissur coast, the Fisheries Marine Enforcement Task Force on November 13 intercepted the boat Soris west of the Chettuva estuary, carrying around 5,000 kg of juvenile Kilimeen, including threadfin bream, measuring less than the prescribed minimum size of 12 cm. The boat belonged to Neeraj Thayattuparambil of Munambam in Ernakulam district. The Thrissur Deputy Director of Fisheries imposed a Rs 2.5 lakh fine on the owner; officials released the fish back into the sea and confiscated nets with illegal mesh sizes, The South First reported. Deputy Director Rajesh S said action would continue against those engaged in such fishing.

An inter-state trade draining young fish

Juvenile sardines, mackerel and other undersized fish caught along the Kerala coast are being illegally transported to Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Goa and Gujarat, where they are used to make fishmeal, fish oil, fish powder and fertilisers and as feed in fish farms, driven by strong demand and attractive commissions for local agents and fishers. The government has prescribed minimum legal sizes for 58 commercially important marine species — 10 cm for Indian oil sardines — and catching fish below those sizes is prohibited. An earlier assessment by the ICAR-Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) found marine fish stocks vulnerable to overfishing, and Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor told the Assembly in October that the government had received reports of large-scale capture of juvenile fish and their transport to other states.

Fishers say the trade hits small operators hardest. Mathias, a fisherman from Neendakara in Kollam, told The South First: "These fish should be allowed to grow and reproduce. If they are taken out of the sea at this stage, what will be left for the coming seasons?" Benevolence, a traditional fisherman from Vizhinjam in Thiruvananthapuram, said smaller fishing units suffer the most when large vessels take everything in bulk, including fish that have not grown.

In the current financial year up to October, 60 fishing vessels were impounded and fines totalling Rs 40.30 lakh were imposed for juvenile fishing. Operation Paithal will continue until January 10, 2027, with special squads conducting surveillance and surprise inspections at sea, at harbours and at landing centres, and the department has planned awareness campaigns with the Coastal Police, the Coast Guard and the Indian Navy.