Rolling up his sleeves, fifty-year-old Narayana and many other fishermen gather enthusiastically on the Kothapatnam coast in the district. Many of them set sail for the first time on Wednesday after their two-month fishing vacation on June 14th.
The holiday was imposed by the state government on April 15 on the east coast to preserve fish and other marine resources during the breeding season.
Fishermen who spent the two months repairing nets and overhauling mechanized boats resumed operations at 69 landing centers in the coastal mandals in Prakasam. Up to 2,300 motorized boats and 42 mechanized boats were back in service.
“We hope for a better fishing season this year as officials have predicted a normal southwest monsoon,” said a community elder Prabhu Prakash Naidu from Kothapatnam Pallepalem.
As they prepare to go about their normal business, they repeat their call for an increase in fuel subsidies.
“We take the trouble to travel long distances to get a good catch. The unprecedented rise in diesel prices has made fishing unprofitable, ”complained a group of fishermen in Pakala.
About 10,000 fishing families in Prakasam district received 10,000 yen funding to make up for lost income during fishing vacation, said fisheries joint director A. Chandrasekar Reddy.
However, around 3,000 fishermen received for various reasons such as: B. Mismatch of the names in the Aadhaar card, grocery card and savings bank account in the coastal mandals of Ongole, Kothapatnam, Chirala, Vetapalem, Chinnaganjam, Nagulapapadu, Tangutur, Singarayakonda, Ulavapadu not, the service not and Gudluru. Efforts would be made to correct the discrepancies, he added.