മത്സ്യബന്ധനയാനങളുടെ സംരക്ഷണം (Protection of fishing craft)

Abstract

India with a long coastline of 8041 km and an Exclusive Economic Zone of 2.02 million km^ depends on the traditional as well as the mechanised sector for exploitation of fishery resources. There are at present about 1,70,000 traditional craft, 36,000 mechanised boats and about 200 deep sea trawlers operating in our coastal waters. The capital investment in this sector amounts to about Rs. 6,000 crores. The traditional craft are constructed using wood alone whereas larger mechanised vessels are made from steel, fibreglass reinforced plastic, ferrocement etc. These materials, especially wood, are subjected to deterioration due to their constant interaction with the seawater. In this context the need for protection of fishing craft gains much importance.