NAVI MUMBAI, June 15 -- The fisheries department has caught five mechanised boats for fishing in the high seas at Karanja Port in Uran, at a time when the annual 61-day fishing ban is in effect. The controversy over the ban has erupted once again with the fishing community from Uran, accused of regular violations, questioning its enforcement. The action has been taken for fishing in the high seas of Uran, Mumbai and Raigad in the past few days. Boats named Jai Gauri Nandan, Ekveera Mata, Shri Jagrut Gaurai, Bhavani Jagdamba and Devachi Alandi are alleged to have gone into the high seas from Karanja port. A fisheries department official said, "Following our inspection, we caught them when they returned to the port and were unloading their catch in the darkness of the night. They have been levied heavy fines of Rs.1.30 lakh by the licensing officials of the department." The state government had issued an order banning fishing by mechanised and motorised vessels between June 1 and July 31 vide Maharashtra Marine Fisheries Regulation Act, 1981, and the Amendment Ordinance, 2021. The ban during monsoon extends to up to 12 nautical miles from the coastline. The ban is enforced to allow fish breeding during the monsoon to protect biodiversity, and also help sustain the fishing business by ensuring growth in the fish population. It also protects the fishing community from the dangers of the rough seas during the season. However, the ban is not applicable for traditional fishing with the smaller boats. Due to the high demand, the ban has been violated over the years. Often, the names of the boats and their fishing licence number are painted over to hide the identification marks. The law calls for filing of criminal cases with at least three years jail sentence, heavy fine and barring any fishing-related activity for three years, apart from confiscation of boats, cancellation of licence, destruction of such boats, and seizure of fishermen's houses. Following a large number of violations in 2023, especially from Karanja, the department had issued stricter guidelines to curb illegal fishing during the ban period. Mahesh Devre, joint commissioner of fisheries department, said, "The ban is as per central government regulations based on recommendation of the central institutes. It is the responsibility of the Coast Guard to treat the presence of such boats as terrorist activity. We are coordinating with them on this matter."...