Chennai- After a 61-day seasonal fishing ban, over 200 mechanised boats set out to sea from the Thoothukudi fishing harbour in Tamil Nadu and returned with a substantial fish haul, bringing cheer to both fishermen and traders. The boats, which departed around 5 a.m. on Tuesday, docked back by 9 p.m., carrying tonnes of fish, including sala, uli, paarai, seela, kanava, anthili, and ailai.

The harbour witnessed a high influx of fish for the second consecutive day, leading to brisk trading activity and strong demand from buyers across Tamil Nadu and Kerala. The prices reflected the demand: a basket of sala fetched Rs 2,000, vilai sold for Rs 4,500 - Rs 6,000, anthili for Rs 4,500, paarai for Rs 6,000, and uli for Rs 7,500 - Rs 10,000. Premium varieties like seela were sold at Rs 900 per kilogram. Fish varieties like ponnamparai and ailai averaged Rs 2,500 per basket.

The harbour was bustling with activity as both locals and wholesalers gathered to purchase the fresh catch. Fishermen expressed happiness over the profitable start to the season. However, they appealed to the Central and state governments to reduce diesel prices and taxes to ease the financial burden on boat operators. R.J. Bosco, secretary of the Thoothukudi Mechanised Boat Owners Association, said the day’s catch was encouraging. “Each boat incurs a daily expense of around Rs 2.15 lakh on diesel, ice, and labour. Fortunately, the average catch was worth about Rs 3 lakh, slightly above the break-even point. A single trawler consumes around 1,200 litres of diesel per fishing trip,” he explained.

Most boats reported good catches of para, ooli, and karal. Meanwhile, in Kanyakumari, boats also resumed operations following the end of the two-month fishing ban off the district’s coast on Sunday. Several boats that ventured out early Monday returned by Tuesday night with large quantities of fish, including kingfish, pomfret, prawns, and shrimps, with an estimated total value of Rs 5 crore. Fishing leaders reported that each boat brought back around four tonnes of high-value catch, drawing traders from nearby districts and even neighbouring states. The fishing ban, observed annually in April and May, coincides with the breeding season and aims to protect marine life and sustain long-term fish stocks in the region.