Poor catch disappoints boatmen

KOCHI: In their first foray into the outer sea after the 47-day fishing vacation, mechanised fishing boats from the Kochi region, who hoped to catch prawns and cuttlefish in abundance, got disappointed.

Instead of these high-value species, they had to contend with kilimeen (red snapper) which fetch low prices on the market. However, kilimeen were available fairly abundantly. One boat, after two days of fishing got a catch of kilimeen valued at Rs. 80,000. But most boats could make around Rs. 30,000 to 40,000.