52-day fishing ban in Kerala

A 52-day monsoon-trawling ban has been imposed in Kerala's coastal waters for the 31st year in succession, prohibiting around 5,000 fishing trawlers from venturing any closer than 12 nautical miles to protect fish breeding during the monsoon season.

"Any boat which breaks these rules will be fined INR 2.5 lakh," said an official.

However, the ban, that has been imposed annually since 1988, will not apply to the traditional fishermen.

The trawlers are banned from fishing in the coastal waters because this is the time when fish breed and any disturbance to that process will deplete the marine wealth, a state government fisheries official said.

As a result of the ban, fish - a staple food in the coastal state of Kerala and also a major export commodity - will become costlier.

Kerala has over 200 marine fishing villages and over 700,000 fishermen.