Mangaluru: The Bunder dock finally opened for business after a 61-day ban that was imposed by the government owing to the monsoons and the COVID-lockdown. People were seen up and about going about their business and getting ready to go out fishing.
The labourers who engage in the fishing activities here mainly hail from Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, and neighbouring states. Many of these labourers returned home when the lockdown was imposed and are yet to return to work, so fishing activities may resume when more labourers are available.
There are, according to statistics, 1483 gill-net boats, 1270 trawl and 57 purse seine boats, 549 non-mechanized boats and 150 traditional boats in Mangaluru.
Fishing activities are banned during the monsoons every year for environmental reasons. This is the breeding season for fish and they lay eggs along the coast at this time.
