The All India Deep Sea Fishers’ Association has warned of a State-wide protest against the Centre’s move to permit large vessels to operate in the deep seas under the guise of issuing access pass to boats.
Representatives of the association said in a communication that they had raised the issue at a workshop related to granting access passes to vessels and boats at the Fisheries Survey of India here on Wednesday.
Charles George, president of the association, said access passes are provided free of cost to trawl boats. “However, deep-sea vessels operating beyond 200 nautical miles have to pay ₹25,000 for access passes. It is not fair to charge fees for these vessels, which are only 20 metres long and part of the small-scale sector. We requested the authorities to provide relaxation for this category,” he said.
The representatives expressed concern over the modernisation of harbours in Kerala as they feared that it might be connected to the entry of large vessels. The fishing community in the State has opposed the entry of large vessels under the guise of recommendations made in the Meenakumari Committee report for review of deep-sea fishing policy and guidelines.
They demanded that the State government respond immediately against the Centre’s move to open India’s seas to large companies in the name of cooperative societies after recording the views of associations representing fish workers. They also condemned the move not to seek the opinion of the State government on the amendment to the Merchant Shipping Act.
Published – July 15, 2026 11:58 pm IST
