KOCHI: "Attention! The fishermen in one of the fishing boats are not responding. The boat ‘Don’ has been hit by a ship in Manakod, Cherthala. Over! Location 944:500 to 7559:300 has become a danger zone. It is suspected that two fishermen are dead. Three of them are missing!" the wireless cackled from Channel 19 as fishermen along the Kerala coast were jolted to another nightmare on Thursday dawn.And once this message was sent, hundreds of wireless sets and mobiles were set in motion.It is these wireless sets and mobile phones that come handy for the fishermen who venture out into the sea to contact others and those who are on the land. “These wireless systems and mobile phones are the only contacts we have with other fishermen. We travel in groups hoping to make huge catch during season.During those times, we keep constant touch with each other through the wireless. If someone fails to respond, we realise there is something wrong and rush to the exact location from where they responded last,” said Jesu Balan, a fisherman in the boat ‘Rehoboth’ berthed at the Thoppumpady harbour.For people like Jesu Balan, who go out to fish in deep waters for days on end, wireless systems are their best friends.“The fishing boats have a separate channel unlike trawlers and gill boats. The minute we are alerted of any danger through either the FM radio or mobile phones or Channel 19, we act soon,” Jesu added.But, in serious situations, the neighbouring boats alert other fishermen.And as the wireless has become a hit among fishermen in Kerala, ham radios have ceased to exist.“But, hams are still used by the fishermen in other regions. Here, it is usually the police or the local Port officials who carry hams, said Kadalora Jagratha Samithi president K J Paul.Some fishing boats have FM radios and even TV, which enable them to keep in touch with the latest news.
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