Catamaran fishing to recommence in northern sea Monday

[TamilNet, Sunday, 30 January 2005, 17:42 GMT]
Fishing using traditional craft "catamaran" is to start again in Jaffna northern sea Monday after a month since Tsunami hit the coastal areas. Most of traditional fishing crafts had been damaged in the natural disaster but the balance would be put in use this week, fisheries sources said. The word catamaran is of Tamil origin. The Tamil word 'Kattumaram' means logs bound together which, pronounced in English, transforms into Catamaran.

The Special Task Force functioning in Jaffna has taken this step to restore normalcy in the lives of fisher folk thus salvaging them from mental depression, sources said.

Meanwhile, NORAD, an international NGO is supplying materials to fishermen to repair damaged fishing boats. However fisheries society sources claimed that majority of fishermen are repairing their damaged boats borrowing money on loan from private sources, fisheries co-operative officials said.

Special Task Force sources said fish curry is now included in meals supplied to Tsunami victims sheltered in welfare centres.

In the meantime, soldiers of the Sri Lanka Navy manning coastal check points in Jaffna district are pressurising fishermen to obtain fresh passes for fishing. Naval authorities have said that all documents pertaining to passes issued to fishermen earlier were lost in sea when Tsunami deadly waves swept their coastal area sentry and check points, sources said.