CHENNAI: The fisherfolk in the 24 villages around the Pulicat lake have put one thought out of their minds: what would life have been like if this summer’s fishing catch had not been better than usual. “Some people say that because we’re not out ferrying tourists, we have more time to fish, so we’re catching more. I just think it’s luck and fate,” says Sarath, a 23-year-old who has just ‘taken’ the throttle on his father’s boat.This year, the haul of crustaceans like white prawns, lobster and giant prawns has been exceptionally good, says Mariadoss, a fish wholesaler, who transports loads to Tiruvallur, Arakkonam and Ambattur. In addition, high price fish like shark, sear and giant pomfret have been netted in larger quantities this month, and sales have been booming with the trawler ban causing a fish shortage in Chennai.“Normally we only make about `200-300 per person,” says Anand, a fisherman, “But yesterday alone, our catch was so good that we took the boat straight to Kasimedu and conducted direct sales. We made `1,500 per person,” he adds proudly. This will keep his family going for a week at least, he reckons.However, he happens to be one of the luckier people around. Says Ramu, a wizened old fisherman in his seventies, “The younger boys these days don’t know the fish patterns and what is the best time. People from my generation are being asked not to go fishing as it is not safe. Without us, they keep trying to get a good catch but understandably fail. So they look for other jobs.” His own son, has become a taxi driver in Tiruvallur, he adds, spitting on the ground in disdain, after he sold their boat to buy a taxi.The other boys who have either dropped out from college or aren’t hardcore fishermen are in a dilemma: Without tourists, they have been forced to either migrate to Chennai for jobs or are trying to go abroad as manual labourers.
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