Trawling ban ends today in Kerala: Fishing boats to set sail with hope into a sea of uncertainty

Kollam: At midnight on Thursday, the locks at sea bridges in the state will open, and boats will head out to sea carrying hopes as bright as their lights. The coast now waits in anticipation for their return—nets full of fish.

The 52-day-long trawling ban will end on Thursday. This year, boat owners are returning to the sea amid concerns over the Central Government's proposal to permit offshore sand mining and worries that their costly nets may be destroyed if entangled in drifting containers from a sunken cargo ship in the deep sea.

When the ban began, migrant workers from other states had temporarily returned home, but many have now come back. Currently, around 50% of the workforce in this sector consists of migrant labourers.

Since Monday, boats have been preparing—stocking ice, fuel, drinking water and cooking supplies, loading nets, and completing maintenance work. Electronic equipment like GPS and radar systems have been serviced and reinstalled. The entire coastal belt is now active: workers who help dock the boats, staff at ice factories, grocery shopkeepers, net manufacturing company employees, fish sorters, commission agents, drivers and labourers in peeling sheds are all back in action.

There are about 900 boats in Kollam district alone, with 700 of them based in Neendakara. On average, each boat carries around 12 workers. This time, poor weather conditions in the days leading up to the resumption of trawling resulted in the loss of several workdays. The aftermath of the shipwreck also contributed to further delays. As a result, earnings have been affected, said Peter Mathias, State President of the Boat Operators' Association. Many were unable to afford new nets or carry out necessary maintenance on their boats.