[Reader-list] World Fisheries Day Celebrated

[T Peter]

*CZM norms worry fisherfolk *

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*Date:22/11/2008* *URL:
http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/22/stories/2008112259050300.htm*
Special Correspondent

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World Fisheries Day celebrated in city

Attempts to appropriate coastal belt draw flak
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 Thiruvananthapuram: Speakers at a meeting organised here on Friday by the
Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF) as part of the World
Fisheries Day highlighted the threats faced by the fishermen community in
Kerala and other coastal States.

Pannian Ravindran, MP, who inaugurated the meeting called on the Central
government to scrap the move to replace the Coastal Regulation Zone with the
Coastal Zone Management strategy since it would cause hardships to
fisherfolk. He decried efforts by global players to appropriate marine and
coastal resources. "The government must understand the concerns of the
fishermen who are already facing a threat to their livelihood from foreign
trawlers and big business groups. They should be brought back to the
mainstream of social life," he said.

State president of the KSMTF T. Peter said rapacious real estate groups,
tourism ventures, aquaculture farms, ship breaking units and industrial
houses were vying with each other to appropriate large tracts of coastal
belt all along the country. "The tourism industry has claimed 40 per cent of
the coastal area in Alappuzha. Special Economic Zones pose the biggest
threat to fishermen in Ernakulam. Industries and tourism have appropriated
most of the coastal belt Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat".
'Political setback'

 Mr. Peter said the proposed Coastal Zone Management would spell doom for
fisherfolk. He said the UPA government would face a political setback if it
went ahead with the CZM, ignoring the concerns of the fisherfolk.

Referring to the attack on the Ashapura clay factory in Thiruvananthapuram
last week, he said the people in the coastal belt would resist moves to
target them on the incident. He accused the factory management of misleading
the government.

"We are not against development. But developmental activities should not
affect people's livelihood," he said.

Deputy chief executive of the South Indian Federation of Fishermen Societies
Ansil, former Fisheries joint director Ravindran Nair and KSMTF leaders Anto
Elias, Valerian Isaac and P.V. Wilson were present.

A seminar on CZM and fishworkers was organised.