Unused tracking devices leave AP fishermen at risk

Over 90% of mechanised boats have transponders, but many go unused

Visakhapatnam: Transponders with two-way communication were installed on mechanised fishing boats operating off the coast of Andhra Pradesh to track their position at sea and assist in emergencies. These devices also allowed boat owners and relevant authorities to monitor the locations of the vessels while fishing.

However, most fishermen kept the transponders turned off while at sea.

This led to incidents of crossing maritime boundaries and created difficulties in alerting the appropriate authorities in case of emergencies.Fishermen from various regions of Andhra Pradesh have faced detention by neighbouring countries in recent months after their fishing boats crossed the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) during their fishing trips.

Officials from the fisheries department have stated that these incidents could have been prevented. The vessel-tracking transponders installed on the boats are designed to send alerts to fishermen and authorities when vessels approach or cross maritime borders.In Andhra Pradesh, around 2,500 mechanised fishing boats operated from parts of the state, and over 90 per cent of them were equipped with transponders.

However, officials noticed that many fishermen kept the devices switched off while at sea.Inspector General of Police (Visakhapatnam Range) and Additional Director General, Coastal Security, Gopinath Jatti said they have observed that the effectiveness of the Transponders remains limited, as around 90 percent of the fishermen are not using the device while at sea, citing various reasons. We have been conducting awareness programmes to encourage the fishermen to use the transponders, he added.Admitting that fishermen kept the transponders switched off at sea, Surada Satyanarayana, a fisherfolk in Vizag fishing harbour, said the transponders consume battery power and interfere with VHF radio communication. Normally, mechanised fishing boats last 12 to 15 days in each voyage at sea, and if the transponders drain the battery, our communication will snap, he added. We have been requesting the fisheries department to provide a battery for the device at a subsidised price, he further added.The fisheries department officials said that the use of transponders will soon be mandatory on fishing vessels at sea to address frequent border crossings. If the devices are kept on, both fishermen and the department receive alerts when vessels approach international boundaries, reducing the risk of accidental transgression, they added.