Further illustrating the doggedness of its stand towards the US, a WikiLeaks cable shows that the Left in Kerala was sceptical of even philanthropic gestures from the country.

The cable sent by US Chennai Consulate on January 29, 2008, says while the Left was willing to accept US charity, its “reflexive anti-Americanism” stopped it from inviting a US Embassy official to a function planned to commemorate American aid for tsunami-hit fishermen.

The Indian National Centre of Ocean Information Services (INCOIS) is working towards covering the entire fishing community of the country under the Potential Fishing Zone advisory services that deliver accurate information on fish abundance.

INCOIS has already covered all the coastal states of the country under this initiative.

INCOIS officials said plans are afoot on expanding the reach and accuracies of Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories to cater to the needs of the entire fishing population, which is estimated at 1,44,85,354, according to 2005 figures.

The European Union's executive will propose plans to rescue the bloc's over-exploited fish stocks next week, with the aim of achieving sustainability by 2015, draft proposals seen by Reuters show.

The plan is part of proposals to reform the EU's common fisheries policy, including 615 million euros ($887 million) a year in associated EU subsidies for the sector, which are due to be adopted by th

KOCHI: Considered the most important effort at sustainable development of fish resources in the Arabian Sea, the one-and-a-half-month annual ban on fishing using trawl nets will take effect in Kerala's territorial waters on Tuesday midnight.

Roughly 4,000 boats will take the

Traditional fishermen will demand a total ban on the use of the high horsepower Chinese engines by fishing vessels at a meeting called by Fisheries Minister S. Sarma in Kochi on Wednesday.

President of the Kerala Swathantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation T. Peter told The Hindu that fishing permit should not be given to vessels fitted with engines imported from China.

The critically endangered Irrawaddy dolphins here in the Chilika Lake which are a tourist attraction generating Rs 80 crore in annual revenue may be coming to harm from increasing noise pollution from private tourist boats.

The coastal areas of Tamil Nadu, including state capital Chennai, received incessant rainfall due to Cyclone Laila. The torrent, which began late on Tuesday, continued on Wednesday too. The regional meteorological department in Chennai issued a warning that similar weather conditions would continue till Thursday.

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government imposed six-month fishing ban from today to protect the endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles in Gahirmatha marine sanctuary.

Trawlers and boatmen have been directed not to fish within 20 km off the coast in the marine sanctuary areas covering 35-km stretch from Agaranasi to Dhamra.

As floods wreak havoc in the State with an unrelenting frequency every year, the Orissa Government is busy strengthening its search and rescue power. Besides carrying out a boat census across 24 districts, it too is preparing a directory of the vessels so as to be in readiness when the deluge strikes. The recent is addition of 18 aluminium boats, procured from Indian Registrar of Shipping, for increasing the rescue and search efficiency.

IN Orissa, a battle rages between marine conservation and local fisherfolk. At the heart of this conflict is the ban on fishing in the vicinity of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary. The 1,435-sq