At the end of the 61-day fishing ban period, fishermen from Rameswaram and Mandapam, who went to sea on Sunday evening returned to the shore on Tuesday morning with a good harvest but with ambivalent feelings.

There was a good haul of prawns, crab and squid, but the price it fetched was not commensurate with the cost incurred by the fishermen. While the buying power among the public seems to have decreased, the supply was more, forcing the fishermen to sell at a lower price, says P. Jesu Raja of Mechanised Boat Fishermen Association.

“The rise in diesel price has also hit us hard”, say the fishermen.

According to Karl Marx, a fishermen leader, mechanised boats use 700 litres to 1,000 litres of diesel for a day of fishing. “The overhead cost has increased, but we are unable to demand a good price for our catch. Furthermore, ice manufacturers have also increased their price by atleast ₹20 for a 30-kg block of ice, citing increased power tariff,” he says.

Assistant Director of Fisheries, Rameswaram, A. Thamizhmaran. said that all boats that had gone for fishing from the coast on Sunday evening had returned except for one vessel that developed a snag in mid-sea. Steps had been taken to haul the boat to the shore.

Souces say that each mechanised boat returned with a catch ranging from 200 to 400 kg, which has led to a glut in price.

Mr. Jesu Raja contends that the only way forward is for the government to announce a minimum support price for fish. “We spend a few lakhs every year to maintain the boats. But due to inflation, the price of nets and other materials have increased. As we are fishing within the IMBL, even the catch has decreased.”

Also, the ban period has no meaning as even country boats are fitted with engines now. During the spawning season, the sea surface is disturbed by the country boats and, hence, the government should rethink over continuing the ban period., he adds.

“Due to the war, many export companies have not made any bulk purchase,” another fisherman rues.

The fishermen hope that once the catch stabilises they will get a good price that would be economically viable.