Amaravati, March 22 (IANS) Expressing concern over trespassing and illegal fishing of mechanised fishing boats of Tamil Nadu in the territorial waters of Andhra Pradesh, the state government has taken up the issue with the authorities in Tamil Nadu.
Rama Shankar Naik, Commissioner of Fisheries, Andhra Pradesh, has written a letter to the Director of Fisheries and Fishermen Welfare, Tamil Nadu, seeking immediate intervention and stringent measures to prevent further entry of Tamil Nadu fishing boats into the territorial waters of Tamil Nadu
The official stated that unauthorised entry of Tamil Nadu mechanised fishing boats into the territorial waters of Andhra Pradesh continues unabated, posing a direct threat to the livelihood security of local fishermen and undermining the regulatory framework in force.
The Commissioner of Fisheries also wrote that the illegal fishing of mechanised boats of Tamil Nadu has also created serious law and order concerns.
He mentioned that similar letters were written by Andhra Pradesh officials in 2022, 2023 and 2025 for convening the coordination meeting to resolve the trespassing and illicit fishing by mechanised boats of Tamil Nadu.
The Commissioner of Fisheries has also drawn the attention of the Tamil Nadu government to an incident at Juvvaladinne Fishing Harbour in SPSR Nellore district on March 18.
In this incident, fishermen from Puducherry took away four fishing boats detained, which were under the lawful custody of the police department. This act constitutes a serious breach of law and order and undermines the authority of the enforcement agencies, he wrote.
“This incident has triggered serious unrest among fishermen of 162 coastal villages across Tirupati, SPSR Nellore, Prakasam, and Bapatla district and has the potential to further aggravate inter-state tensions if not addressed immediately,” reads the letter.
The Tamil Nadu authorities were also informed that continued use of destructive fishing practices, particularly trawling by Tamil Nadu vessels within the territorial waters of Andhra Pradesh, is causing significant ecological damage. These activities are reportedly leading to an increase in the incidents of turtle and other endangered marine fauna mortalities, with carcasses frequently washing ashore along the Andhra Pradesh coast, wrote Rama Shankar Naik.
--IANS
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