Small-scale fishers seek rollback of unified licence fee

Small-scale fishing boat operators in the State are gearing up for a protest against the alleged negligence on the part of the Fisheries department in rolling back the revised licence fee, which has reportedly doubled the financial burden of traditional fishermen who operate in nearshore waters. They claim that the demand has been pending with the authorities for over five years.

“A unified licence fee is hardly a justifiable one, especially for small-scale boat operators whose daily income is steadily on the decline, thanks to adverse weather conditions and poor catch. The government is very much aware of the situation, but it has failed to come up with concrete action,” says P. Ashraf, a member of Mini-Boat Owners and Workers Welfare Association.

He points out that the operational area of small-scale traditional fishers comes within 10 nautical miles, but they are now forced to remit ₹26,250 as licence fee, apart from other charges fixed for welfare funds and use of fishing accessories.

According to association leaders, the huge fine imposed in the name of late licence fee payment is a “cruelty” on the ailing segment. They also complain that enforcement squads are mainly targeting small-scale boat operators.

“Our demand is to fix the licence fee according to the size and engine capacity of the boats. Earlier, the fee for small fishing boats was only ₹2,700, which was hiked to ₹26,700 in an unscientific manner,” says Suresh Kavil, a small fishing boat owner from Moodadi. He adds that even minor alteration of boats is being projected as a commercial venture, to impose fines.

Association functionaries say they are waiting for a final reply from the Fisheries department. A mass petition explaining the impact of the “unreasonable licence fee” on small-scale fishers has already been submitted to officials.

Meanwhile, sources in the Fisheries department say the unified licence fee was introduced to discourage the practice of building larger boats in the name of supporting traditional fishermen. Also, it was part of a policy decision to regulate the size of fishing boats operating near the Kerala coast, which cannot be revoked by the Fisheries department independently, they say.