Fishermen call off agitation

RAMANATHAPURAM: Fisherfolk from the district, who were on an indefinite strike in protest against the arrest of four fishermen for poaching an endangered species, on Tuesday withdrew their agitation.The strike was withdrawn following a peace meeting convened by the administration at the collectorate, which saw the participation of the fishermen, the Indian Coast Guard and Navy personnel.The strike was sparked off by the recent arrest of four fishermen from Pamban, for poaching Spinner Sharks, a protected species.The four fishermen were booked under the Wild Life Act and subsequently lodged in prison. In the meeting called by collector Arun Roy, the fishermen contended that they could not be blamed for the incident as they could not identify the protected species while fishing. They demanded that the apprehended fishermen should be handed over to the fisheries department instead of the forest department.They also brought up the claims of a fisherman, who alleged that personnel of the Indian Navy thrust salt into his mouth and damaged their catch, after intercepting their boat mid-sea.Following an assurance by the collector  that such stringent action would not be taken by the forest department in future, the fishermen agreed to withdraw their agitation.