Mangaluru: With the monsoon retreating and clearer skies overhead, Mangaluru’s fishing harbour is regaining its energy as the city’s fishing community gears up for a fresh season at sea. After nearly two months of monsoon rest, preparations are in full swing for the return of deep-sea fishing.
The lifting of the mechanised fishing ban marks a vital period for the local economy. Trawl boats and purse seine vessels are being prepared with urgency—ice blocks loaded, fuel tanks filled, nets repaired, and food supplies stocked.
“It feels like a celebration,” shares a local boat operator, overseeing the loading of nearly 450 ice boxes needed per boat to preserve catches during trips lasting 6 to 10 days.
The scale of readiness is enormous. Each trawler, with a 10–15 member crew, uses about 4,000 litres of diesel per voyage. Larger purse seine boats, with 30+ fishermen, require even more. Kitchens onboard are stocked with rice, lentils, dried vegetables, tea, and gas cylinders, while water tanks hold up to 8,000 litres to sustain crews at sea.
Safety is a top priority. Life jackets, first-aid kits, and fish-finding tech are double-checked. “The sea feeds us, but it also tests us,” remarks a seasoned crew leader entering his 20th season.
Adding to the energy is the return of migrant workers from Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra, reinforcing the harbour’s heartbeat with renewed strength and camaraderie.
Though large-scale fishing will resume in another week, the harbour’s pulse is already alive and kicking.