Mumbai: Fishermen of Sindhudurg and Mumbai are struggling with the mass occurrence of jellyfish and triggerfish, as they say that the supply for commercial fish has been hit.
While the jellyfish in Sindhudurg waters have apprehended local small fishermen that use trawlers for fishing, the commercial fishermen that use purse seine net said that the fish production has come down to half as compared to last year.
The occurrence of jellyfish in deep waters of Vengurla area of Sindhudurg have been forcing the fishermen to release trapped fish. “We have to be careful, as the sting of jellyfish is very painful. Now while fishing the yield mostly consist of around 70 per cent of jellyfish, while other small or commercial fish form only 30 per cent,” said Hemant Shelatkar, fisherman from Sindhudurg.
The occurrence of triggerfish near Mumbai waters has affected coastal markets in Versova, Sas-soon Dock and in Palghar areas. Due to triggerfish, big commercial fish move away, owing to it feeding on large food base like mackerel and squids, stated the fishing community.
“The absence of large fish has resulted in almost 45 per cent dip in the fish production as compared to last year. Triggerfish can only fetch upto Rs15 per kilo, which is comparatively very little,” said Damodar Tandel, president of Akhil Maharashtra Machimar Kriti Samiti.
