Nearly 1,000 fishermen and 155 trawlers from Porbandar, Mangrol and Veraval have been grounded for allegedly crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL). The boat licences as well as the identity cards of fishermen have been seized by the authorities.

The authorities, including the Customs and Fisheries departments, maintained that the ID cards had been sent to the police stations concerned for verification and would be returned only if there was nothing objectionable about them. They said it had become a trend for Indian fishermen to cross the IMBL in search of a good catch. Also, the number of Indian fishermen in Pakistani jails was higher than that of Pakistani fishermen in Indian jails, they added.

This has been done as a precautionary step to prevent any terror attack akin to the 26/11 strikes in Mumbai. But for the fishermen, it’s the second season without work and for their families a difficult period without livelihood.

“Around 55 trawlers were seized last year soon after the November attack in Mumbai; this year, 100 have been seized so far. Along with boat licences, identity cards of the crew were also seized by the Coast Guard,” said Manish Lodhari, secretary of the National Fishing Forum (NFF).

“At present, 570 Indian fishermen and 421 boats are in Pakistani custody after they were arrested by the Pakistan Marine Security Agency over the past three years for straying into Pakistani waters,” he said.

A boat costs around Rs 2,500 and a fisherman earns Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000 per season. But without licences, the boats are anchored in Porbandar, Mangrol and Veraval.

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