Multiple authorities, multiple licences and duplication of procedure are just some of the things that fishermen have to wade through before they can actually set sail.

With a number of parallel regulating bodies controlling the fishing sector, the fishermen as well as the authorities are in a muddle about the norms and procedure that are to be followed.

Consider this: The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB), which runs the Porbandar port and jetty, has 4,000 big and small fishing boats registered with it. But none of the boats are registered with the Fisheries Department, which also has the statutory mandate of carrying out registrations.

The Customs Department, on the other hand, keeps on issuing the Creek Pass or the fishing licence, unaware of the fact that none of the fishermen are licenced as per law by the Fisheries Department.

So, the situation that emerges is almost as messy as a fish market will ever be. The fishermen go fishing with improper boat registrations and licence, without knowing that they can be penalised under conflicting provisions of different laws for the same offence.

Dr P C Malli, Superintendent of Fisheries, said: “With Fisheries Act, 2003 coming into effect, our department has been virtually made the regulator in the sector. However, since 2003, we have not done a single registration or issued licence. Yet, the fishermen have all papers in some form issued by other authorities.”

Officials of the GMB, the Customs and the Fisheries Department don't acknowledge it officially, but agree that part of the reason that the fishermen so frequently cross the IMBL is the lack of synchronisation between them.

... contd.