Chief Minister M Karunanidhi today urged the Centre to address the concerns raised by the fishermen and take all stakeholders into confidence before tabling the Marine Fisheries (Regulation and Management) Bill, 2009, in Parliament.

In a letter to Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar a copy of which was released to the press, Karunanidhi said that as the fishing activities in Palk Bay areas off Tamilnadu were already affected owing to harassment of fishermen by the Sri Lankan Navy and the marine fish production was already exhausted in territorial waters, introduction of the Bill without consulting the fishermen community and other stakeholders would have wider implications.

Also, he urged Pawar to initiate wide dialogue with the stakeholders for bringing in a Legislation which was an inclusive and progressive one. Seeking Pawar's intervention, Karunanidhi requested him to consider the concerns raised by him, take the suggestions of all the State governments and stakeholders and initiate broader consulting process to finalise the draft Bill prior to tabling it before the appropriate forum.

Stating the remarks made by his government were not incorporated in the Bill, Karunanidhi said the apprehensions of the fishermen were that the penalty clauses were severe and the conditions stipulated in the Bill for fishing beyond 12 Nautical Miles were too severe and impracticable.

Listing out the provisions in the Bill which were detrimental to the fishermen, he referred to the clause of applying for a specific permit for undertaking any fishing activity in any maritime zone outside the territorial waters.

'This implies that though fishermen who were issued to fishing licences to operate within the territorial waters of the State, are not allowed to fish beyond 12 nautical miles without getting another licence under the draft Bill', he said, adding this clause would pave way for duplication of licensing system and create confusion and compound the misery of the fishermen.

Observing it was also not practically possible to physically prevent the fishermen from fishing beyond 12 nautical miles in the absence of clear cut geographical zoning, the Chief Minister urged Pawar to ensure that deep sea fishing vessels registered under the Merchant Shipping Act/Mercantile Marine Department (MMD) alone were brought under the purview of this clause.

Describing the penal provisions in the Bill as harsh and heavy,  Karunanidhi said this had led to unrest among the fishermen community, for the vessels fishing beyond 12 nautical miles by violating the clause, would have to serve jail term upto two times of three consecutive months each.

'The imposition of Rs nine lakh penalty as proposed in the Bill for any vessel fishing without permit beyond territorial waters, led to vociferous protest from fishermen as no fishing boat can fish even in Indian waters beyond 12 nautical miles', he noted.

'This is against the schemes that are being implemented by the Union and State governments for encouraging fishermen to tap the under exploited offshore resources for commercial species like Tuna, which fetch substantial foreign exchange', Karunanidhi said.

The Chief Minister also urged Pawar to add in the Bill, a provision to the clause stating that the views of the State government concerned should be obtained in the interests of the fishing community.