No Turtle Excluder Device, no subsidy, TN fishers told after task force meet

Karaikal, Cuddalore and Nagai trawlers with 'illegal Chinese engines' blamed for turtle deaths

- SV KRISHNA CHAITANYA @Chennai

IN the meeting of a special task force constituted to address the alarming deaths of Olive Ridley turtles during this nesting season on Monday, the state government made it clear to all stakeholders, especially the fishermen, that it would cut all the subsidies for trawler boats, if they operate without using Turtle Excluder Devices (TEDs), which was made mandatory in 2017.

More than 1,000 Olive Ridley turtles have washed ashore dead in Chennai and nearby coast alone, for which the primary reason is identified to be the illegal trawling within the prohibited 5 nautical miles and lack of use of TEDs.

TNIE published a series of articles on the rising death toll. The southern bench of National Green Tribunal (NGT), which took suo motu cognisance based on one of these articles, has advanced its next scheduled hearing to Tuesday.