Andhra Pradesh: Low catch and rough sea conditions impact fishing industry along state coast
VISAKHAPATNAM: The low catch and rough sea weather conditions caused by a series of low-pressure systems and upper-air-circulations hit the fishing industry along the Andhra Pradesh coast hard. Low catches of popular seafood varieties and high input cost for the voyages resulted in more than 50 per cent of mechanized fishing boats in the AP region remaining anchored.
Weather played spoilsport to fishing activities for more than 20 days in August and September as the rough sea accompanied by strong winds dissuaded fishermen from venturing into sea.
The catch of tiger prawn, white prawn and popular fish varieties such as silver pomfret and seer fish in the coastal region plummeted this year due to various reasons, including marine pollution, said Vasupalli Janakiram of AP Mechanized Fishing Boat Owners Association. The reduction in catch led to huge losses to mechanized boat owners as well as others involved in the industry, he added.
Many fishing boat operators in the region have been incurring losses over the past two months, as most boats remain anchored at the fishing harbour and only 40 per cent are venturing out to fish, said Satyanarayana Suraida, vice-president of the Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators Welfare Association. While some fishing boats are returning with catches of brown prawn, traders are procuring them at Rs450 per kg, which is not encouraging. "If the price reaches at least Rs500 per kg for brown prawns, some profits will be achievable," he added.
A mechanized boat operator, who generally spends Rs four to five lakh per voyage on fuel, ice, provision and crew, however the boat returns with only Rs two to three lakh worth fish and prawn, leading to losses to boat owners, expressed by some boat owners.
Operational expenses, including labour costs, surged by around 20 per cent, coupled with a decline in the fish catch, making it economically unviable for fishing boat operators. A total of 2,500 mechanised fishing vessels operate across various coastal regions of the state, including Vizag, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Vadarevu, Kalingapatnam and others. The sea food lovers also expressed displeasure over the low availability of the popular fish and prawns in the markets.
Key Points
Weather played spoilsport to fishing activities for more than 20 days in August and September as the rough sea accompanied by strong winds dissuaded fishermen from venturing into sea.
The catch of tiger prawn, white prawn and popular fish varieties such as silver pomfret and seer fish in the coastal region plummeted this year due to various reasons, including marine pollution, said Vasupalli Janakiram of AP Mechanized Fishing Boat Owners Association. The reduction in catch led to huge losses to mechanized boat owners as well as others involved in the industry, he added.
Many fishing boat operators in the region have been incurring losses over the past two months, as most boats remain anchored at the fishing harbour and only 40 per cent are venturing out to fish, said Satyanarayana Suraida, vice-president of the Visakha Dolphin Boat Operators Welfare Association. While some fishing boats are returning with catches of brown prawn, traders are procuring them at Rs450 per kg, which is not encouraging. "If the price reaches at least Rs500 per kg for brown prawns, some profits will be achievable," he added.
A mechanized boat operator, who generally spends Rs four to five lakh per voyage on fuel, ice, provision and crew, however the boat returns with only Rs two to three lakh worth fish and prawn, leading to losses to boat owners, expressed by some boat owners.
Operational expenses, including labour costs, surged by around 20 per cent, coupled with a decline in the fish catch, making it economically unviable for fishing boat operators. A total of 2,500 mechanised fishing vessels operate across various coastal regions of the state, including Vizag, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Vadarevu, Kalingapatnam and others. The sea food lovers also expressed displeasure over the low availability of the popular fish and prawns in the markets.
Key Points
- Andhra Pradesh has 2,500 odd, mechanized boats in Andhra Pradesh (Vizag, Kakinada, Machilipatnam, Vadarevu, Kalingapatnam and others)
- Vizag fishing harbour operates over 700 mechanized boats and trawl
- The brown prawn fetches Rs400 to Rs450 a kg
- Each boat requires at least 4,000 litres of diesel for a voyage
- Vizag is major fish landing centre in Andhra Pradesh
- Each boat operator spends Rs 4 to 6 lakh for each voyage
- For easy voyage, the boat operators incur a loss of Rs two lakh due to low catch
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