It has been over a month since fishing activity came to a grinding halt in the State’s biggest fish landing point, Ameenabad Landing Centre (ALC), off the Uppada coast in the district following the spread of COVID-19 in the fisherfolk habitations.
In early June, the two panchayats – Ameenabad and Uppada – had voluntarily imposed a ban on fishing as the virus started spreading in their habitations.
As on Saturday, 40 persons tested positive in the two panchayats, even as medical reports of some more persons were yet to announced.
“We had to stop venturing into the sea for fishing as traders would arrive by vans from Kerala, Karnataka, Odisha, and Kolkata at the ALC. Post the annual fishing ban (that ended this year on June 1 instead of 14), the catch will be abundant till August. However, the spread of COVID-19 is forcing us to remain indoors for a few more weeks,” Vanka Kondababu, former deputy sarpanch of Ameenabad, told The Hindu.
The voluntary ban is necessitated as fishing is done collectively by a group on boats, each comprising a maximum of 10 persons.
‘No official ban’
“There is no official ban on any activity of fishing – be it venturing into the sea by boats, trade, and transportation. It is the fear of the spread of coronavirus that forced the fisherfolk at the ALC to stop the activity. Nearly 100 to 150 mechanised boats belonging to the Uppada coast are landing at Kakinada harbour. But nearly 750 to 800 catamarans remain anchored at the ALC,” Assistant Director (Fisheries), Kakinada, N. Srinivasa Rao, said.
Fishermen from Uppada, Ameenabad, Moolapeta, and Kontapeta are the worst-hit. Absence of fishing impacts the local economy and livelihood of small-scale fishermen using fiber boats. Women, who buy fish from the landing centre and sell it in the nearby areas, are also hit hard.
“We cannot blame anybody for the prevailing situation. However, fishing during the initial weeks after the breeding season (April-June) is lucrative for all kinds of boats that catch Tuna and other species,” said Ch. Sanjeev, a boat operator from Uppada.
