Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (SP)

Bengaluru, Feb 7: The state high court, which has upheld the order dated November 10, 2017 issued the central government that had banned light fishing as well as bull or pair trawling beyond 12 nautical miles from the seashore, has directed the concerned to obey the order of the union government.

The order was passed by a single-judge bench of the high court presided over by Justice Alok Aradhe on Wednesday February 6. The order was issued after hearing a petition filed by Malpe Port All Karnataka Purse Seine Fishermen's Association. The bench modified its December 21, 2018 order and asked the petitioners to follow the order of the union government.

Advocate, M C Nagashree, arguing on behalf of the union government, noted that mechanized boats are being used for conducting deep sea fishing with the help of lights like LED, Halogen etc. In this method, even fingerlings and fish of rare species were being caught. This affects the breeding of fishes. Because of these reasons, the government had taken steps to ban fishing with the help of light, she said, in support of the government's stand.

Advocate for the petitioners said that the fishermen had invested crores of rupees to buy mechanized boats which use lights to catch fish. He claimed that the decision of the central government has hurt the interests of the families that are wholly dependent on fishing.   He further questioned the central government's move in taking this decision without seeking opinions of the state government. "Karnataka government had written to the centre, asking it to review this decision, but there is no response from the union government," he added.

In the meanwhile, traditional fishermen, through their interim petitions, had sought ban on light-based fishing.

In the recent years, it was observed that more and more fishing boats used light to conduct fishing at deep sea. Considering that it adversely affects breeding of the fish, the union department for animal husbandry, dairy and fisheries, had banned fishing by using light on November 10 , 2017. This order was challenged by the fishermen through a petition in the high court.