5.11 The Department of Fisheries

1. Fisheries department, Coastal polices and Marine Enforcement should make necessary arrangements to provide timely warnings for fishermen and coastal residents.

2. The coast guards and fisheries department hire at least one seaworthy boat for the emergency rescue of fishermen when they are in danger at sea. For this, invite and decide the rate contract. Disaster response fund can be used for the use of this boat in emergency situations related to the coastal decay, high wind, tsunami, and cyclone. The format is given in the Handbook on Disaster Management – Volume 2 – Emergency Operations Centers & Emergency Support Functions Plan, Kerala. The disaster response fund cannot be covered the rent and expense of the property, which is not covered by an advance rate contract.

3. When the fishermen are caught at sea, call the Fisheries Department's Control Room at the number below or through the email for emergency rescue. Send a copy of the message as Email to District Collector E O C.

4. Ensure that, all the climate warnings, sea status warnings, and the alerts from the Disaster Management Authority are issued at Fishing Landing Centers, Mathsya Bhavan, and Fisheries Office. Information issued by the state authority is shared with the fisheries control room through the E.O.C group of authority.

5. Fishermen who have to move out of their homes due to coastal erosion should follow annexure 3 and should setup the camp as follows in the annexure and sheltered.

6. Ensure the data are collected through the Local Self Government developed app along with Land Revenue to collect housing loss due to coastal erosion.

7. As per the meeting held on 4-12-2017 by the executive committee of KSDMA, if a warning is done by KSDMA as “ fishermen advised not to venture” the fishermen are not allowed to go for fishing in the mentioned marine area or mentioned time suggested by INCOIS or KSDMA.

8. If there is the instruction, “total suspension of fishing” in any seashore of the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal, the state disaster management authority will issue a strict order to avoid fishing during the given time period in the above-specified area.

9. If the fishermen warning received, the Department of Fisheries, Coastal police, and marine enforcement should take the following steps.

1. Inform the fish landing centers and fish villages through the mike.

2. Provide information to the maximum number of fishermen through temples, mosques, fishermen’s groups, and social organizations.

3. The information should be in local languages Tamil and Hindi in the area which involves more fisheries workers from other states.

4. It is better to keep the boats and nets in the nearest fishing harbor to protect it from rough sea and Kallakkadal. Remember the fishermen continuously about this information and the importance of keeping personal safety equipment with them.

5. Issue a newspaper advertisement about the fisherman’s safety messages.

10. In coastal districts, coastal vigilance committees are working in close proximity to the Costal police station. The alerts on thunderstorm/Tsunami/ cyclone from District Disaster Management Authority should reach coastal vigilance committee through WhatsApp. They should notify the fishermen on land by phone and on the sea fishermen via viruses.

11. Ensure that the fisherman gets whether sea status from the INCOIS directly to their mobile phones. For this be sure to collect the numbers in 2018 and assign them to INCOIS. Campaigns should be conducted to collect all the fishermen’s mobile number.

12. Ensure that the fisheries department is ready to provide the required fishes in the emergency camps.