The 52-day monsoon season trawling ban will come into effect in the State from the midnight of June 9, Fisheries Minister J. Mercykutty Amma said on Wednesday.
Fishing vessels from other States operating along the Kerala shores must leave the region before June 9 midnight.
The Fisheries Department will hire 20 private vessels for carrying out search-and-rescue operations and patrolling. The department will also utilise the services of 80 youths from the fishing communities for search-and-rescue operations, the Minister said.
Marine ambulances
Diesel bunks at fisheries harbours and landing centres will remain closed for the duration of the ban. Services of marine ambulances will be available during June and July.
The government enforces the fishing holiday to soften the impact fishing practices have on the marine ecology and to provide a conducive ecosystem for the breeding of different types of fish, Ms. Mercykutty Amma said.
The 52-day ban, designed to coincide with the fish breeding season, will help replenish marine fishery resources, the Minister said.
