About Webmaster

A Jadhav is the volunteer webmaster of ADSGAF. Information he posts comes from the association leadership. He also supports the association's shark conservation work and through research.

Letter to Joint Secretary-Fisheries requesting release of Thoothoor fishers from Bangladesh

The Joint Secretary-Fisheries
Gocernment of India
Ministry of Agriculture
Krishi Bhavan
New Delhi

Dear Sir,

Sub: Request for the immediate release of three deep sea fishing boats and 26 fishermen from Bangladesh reg.

We would like to urgently bring to your notice that three deep sea fishing boats named Ave Maria-IND-TN-15-MM-314, Annai-TN2/FV/00501/07 and Sea Mary-TN2/FV/01261/10 belonging to the Thoothoor area of Kanyakumari District, Tamil Nadu, along with their crews of 26 fishermen were taken into custody by the Bangladesh Coastal Authorities, while they were fishing on 7th December 2014. These deep sea fishermen from the Thoothoor area are migrants; they operate along the entire coastal line of India’s east and west coasts for fishing. It should be noted that fishing is their only source of livelihood. Most of the time, the income they earn from fishing is just sufficient to meet their operational expenses. The family members of the 26 fishermen are facing extreme distress for the past one week as, without income, they are threatened with starvation.

On behalf of Association of Deep Sea Going Artisanal Fishermen, I request that you take the necessary action to secure the release of the 26 fishermen along with their boats at the earliest possible date. The details of the boats and fishermen are given below.

We urgently solicit your co-operation and assistance.

Thanking you and with regards,

J.Vincent Jain
Chief Executive

Letter to JS fisheries

Final report of the third mission meeting on conservation of sharks

Attached is the final report and minutes of the third mission meeting held last month in Mangalore.

This contains the details of the meeting as well as several salient recommendations/suggestions/ideas that arose from participants. Please see the linked document for the full report as well as the suggestions listed below:

Report of the mission meeting

  1. Feasible conservation measures should be evolved and should be adopted for saving sharks-the health of our ocean.
  2. Data regarding sharks under viviparous, oviparous, and ovoviviparous categories are needed as it is important for recommending shark conservation measures.
  3. Modern facilities and human resource may be provided to CMFRI for identifying and assimilating information on the three categories of sharks
  4. Special programmes should organize for Conservation organizations, environmentalists, medias to provide field level inputs on conservation of sharks.
  5. Encourage fisheries college students to take up shark conservation related projects as part of their course.
  6. The CMFRI should initiate field level projects to work with fishing community.
  7. ICT and expertise of IEEE could be tapped for conservation of sharks
  8. The Secretary, Government of India of the MoEF & CC will be the Chairperson for the National Mission on Conservation of Sharks-India
  9. Provide separate secretariat for NMCSI in the MoEF & CC, Delhi for the operation of shark conservation related activities at National level.
  10. The Secretaries of the Government of the respective states of the Department of Environment and Forests will be Chairpersons for the State Missions in each coastal states
  11. Provide separate secretariat in the particular Department for operation of shark conservation related activities at State level.
  12. The National Mission combined with the State Missions will be the major link between the Government and the community for shark conservation related activities.
  13. The present Core Team has to be strengthened
  14. There will be permanent members from the MoEF & CC, CMFRI, FSI, MPEDA, CITES, FAO etc other than the present members to the Core Team
  15. The fourth National Mission Meeting will be held at Goa and the responsibility for organizing the meeting is given to Advocate Jose Bilbin
  16. The fifth National Mission Meeting will be held at Andhra Pradesh and the responsibility for organizing the meeting is given to Mr. Arjalidasu
  17. Complete the Mission Meetings in rest of the states and submit the report in the month of August 2015

Five fishermen languish in Iran Jail

five fishermen and the sponsor

Urgent action is needed to release the poor innocent five Indian fishermen who are languishing in Iranian Jain from 22.09.2014. The five fishermen are L. Sasikumar, Passport Holder of F. 2284582, S. Anthonees, Passport Holder of G 2277083, S. Antony, Passport Holder of J 2723024, S. Arkoya Antony, Passport Holder of L 4129463 and J. Thadheus, Passport Holder of F 7844202. They worked in Quatar under the sponsorship of Yousuf Ahmad Hassan AL Binali with a fishing boat “Navarast No.3339. While on fishing, they were caught by the Iranian authorities on 22.09.2014 and are imprisoned in the Kish Island. They are to pay a fine of Rs. 5.5 Lakhs as fine for the release. It is the responsibility of the sponsor and the owner of the boat to save their workers when they are in trouble. But we came to know that the sponsor has not been shown any interest to release of his workers from the jail. There are initiatives taken by few organizations for the release of the five fishermen and Association of Deep Sea Going Artisanal Fishermen also at the forefront for the repatriation.

ADSGAF purchases solar-powered refrigeration truck under NFDB program

unnamed

Above: Mr. S. Mohan, Deputy Director is handing over the key of new vehicle on 5th November 2014 in the presence of Mr. Rubert Jothi, Assistant Director, Department of Fisheries, Nagercoil Region to Mr. Romanse, the secretary, ADSGAF. Mr. Sam Micheal, Executive Member, Mr. Muthayyan, Treasurer, Mr. Shabu Arul, Admin and Accounts, ADSGAF, Mr. Thanu Moorthy, Kodai Automobiles and others are seen in the picture above.

The Association of Deep Sea Going Artisanal Fishermen (ADSGAF), purchased a new vehicle on 5th November 2014 under the National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB) Funded Project “Solar Powered Truck for the Transportation of Fresh Fish” through the Department of Fisheries, Government of Tamil Nadu. The objective of the Project is to undertake pilot-scale trials on the use of solar powered refrigerated system on a small commercial vehicle for transporting fresh fish.

Through this Project, the ADSGAF will try to demonstrate how the cost of transportation could be minimized and in the process also contribute to the reduction of carbon emission to the ambient environment. Large quantities of fresh fish were transported every day in the country and the demand has been increasing over the period, including the demand for refrigerated vehicles to transport fish in the best possible condition. Increasing cost of fuel and often restricted availability of quality ice is becoming a major problem, faced by both the fishermen and also the people who are engaged in the transportation business. If this Project is implemented successfully, the operational expenses of refrigerated transportation of fish will be reduced considerably and it will be a milestone in the utilization of solar energy in fisheries sector. Later the technology could also be replicated to other areas. The Project has been approved by the NFDB, based on a request sent to the Board by ADSGAF through the Department of Fisheries of the Government of Tamil Nadu. The BOBP-IGO is providing the advisory support to the Project.