Fibreglass boats filled with trevally fish caught with banned mandal nets.

After the purse seine net was banned by the State government as it poses a serious threat to the marine wealth, some fishermen in the district have started using ‘mandal valai,’ a kind of net, which has also been banned by the Tamil Nadu government but ensures unimaginably huge harvest for them.

 A fisherman from Idinthakarai, who owns a fiberglass boat and used ‘mandal valai’ instead of the banned purse seine net, has reportedly earned more than ₹ 1 crore between March and April this year.

 “When this fisherman had gone for fishing with ‘mandal valai,’ he could harvest a few tonnes of trevally fishes (‘paarai meen’) everyday. With a few more harvests in the coming days, he has earned more than ₹ 1 crore,” says Navison of Idinthakarai.

 When the fortunate fisherman found that a few tonnes of trevally fishes had got entangled in his ‘mandal valai’ in his first attempt, he alerted his relatives on shore over the phone to come to the spot with their boats in which the harvested fishes were filled and taken to the shore in several trips to be auctioned. These ‘shuttle services’ between deep sea and the Idinthakarai shore were seen for a few more days that ensured the birth of a new millionaire in this coastal hamlet.

 On coming to know about the huge catch by an Idinthakarai fisherman, their counterparts in Uvari, the largest coastal hamlet of the district, also started using the banned ‘mandal valai’ in the place of the banned purse seine nets even though a section of the fishermen from the coastal villages of Tirunelveli district oppose use of this net.

 “While purse seine nets destroy even the fingerlings, the ‘mandal valai’ destroys the marine wealth within a small duration by catching the adult fishes in huge numbers. This is also not a good and sustainable fishing practice, which should not be encouraged or allowed,” said a fiberglass boat fisherman from Uvari.

 When a murmur erupted among the fishermen of Idinthakarai over the use of ‘mandal valai’, it reached the Marine Police. The police personnel visited Idinthakarai and left the coastal hamlet without saying anything for or against the use of the net. “The reason behind this silence is quite obvious even though they have used a banned net,” smiles another fisherman from Idinthakarai who opposes the use of ‘mandal valai’.

 A senior official attached to the Department of Fisheries said ‘Mandal valai’ is a type of purse seine which was used by the Idinthakarai and Uvari Fishermen. “It is a banned net and as per the information received, it is not used as of now. Actually they go in for fishing with the banned net after August every year (after the lucrative ‘prawn season’). Since anyhow it is a banned gear, we can’t allow it,” said the official assuring that surprise raids would be conducted to check the use of the banned fishnet.

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Printable version | Jun 22, 2022 2:51:10 am | https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Madurai/now-some-fishermen-use-mandal-valai-to-net-more-income/article65503666.ece