The Fisheries department should adopt a friendly and welfare-oriented approach towards fishermen instead of functioning mainly as an enforcement agency, Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor said on Monday (September 8).

Speaking at a district-level review meeting of the Fisheries and Harbour Engineering departments at Ponnani, Mr. Gafoor said steps would be taken to fill vacancies in key posts and improve the department’s functioning in Malappuram, which has a 70-km coastline.

The Minister also inaugurated a live fish vending centre, a recirculatory aquaculture system (RAS) and biofloc units at the Matsyafed shrimp seed production centre at Veliyankode near Ponnani.

Fisheries Minister V.E. Abdul Gafoor inaugurating a biofloc unit at the shrimp hatchery at Veliyamkode near Ponnani on September 8.

SAKEER HUSSAIN

The facilities are part of the government’s plans to increase inland fish farming and production through modern farming methods. Mr. Gafoor also inaugurated a five-tonne-capacity cold storage facility at Ponnani Harbour, built at a cost of ₹30 lakh under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana.

The government plans to increase fish production in inland water bodies and other suitable locations in the coming years, he said.

The live fish vending kiosk will allow consumers to buy live fish such as snakehead and tilapia raised in ponds. The RAS and biofloc units use limited quantities of water and allow fish to be harvested within six months. The centre aims to produce about 10 tonnes of fish a year.

K.P. Noushad Ali, MLA, presided over the inauguration. Matsyafed chairman T. Manoharan, Perumpadappu block panchayat president Rameena Ismail, Matsyafed governing board member P.P. Saithalavi and ward councillors Ashraf T.K. and U. Muneeb attended.

At the review meeting, Mr. Noushad Ali said the rights of fishermen must be protected. Elected representatives and local stakeholders should be informed and consulted before projects are implemented, he said.

He criticised the practice of officials and contractors taking decisions and spending funds without consulting local representatives and residents.

The meeting also reviewed measures to improve the functioning of the Fisheries and Harbour Engineering departments in the district.