The Supreme Court on Friday asked for the Tamil Nadu government’s response to a request to lift a ban on fishermen using purse seines.

A vacation bench of Justices AS Bopanna and Vikram Nath has issued an opinion to the State on a plea by the petitioner, Fishermen Care, to suspend the order of the Government of Tamil Nadu on February 17, 2020, which had banned the large nets used to catch schools of fish in the deep sea.

When lawyer Jaya Sukin, for the claimant, asked for immediate relief measures like allowing the use of mosquito nets for the time being, the court said it wanted to wait for the government’s response before issuing orders. “Don’t fish in troubled waters,” the shoal said.

Mr Sukin, during the hearing, said the ban had affected the lives of around 15 lakh fishermen in the state. The fishing season only lasted three months a year. The ban impacted the livelihoods of the fishing community and was arbitrary.

The petition stated that there was already an annual ban on trawling between April 15 and June 15. This is the time when the fish reproduce.

The two-month ban helps revive the aquatic population from the impact of mechanized fishing. “All mechanized boats operating from Palaverkadu to Kanniyakumari will be moored during the closed period. After this two-month period, it is again a good season for fishing. The ordinance passed by the State of Tamil Nadu is unconstitutional,” the app says. .

The Madras High Court had earlier dismissed petitions by fishing groups challenging Rule 17(7) of the Amended Tamil Nadu Sea Fisheries Regulations Rules, 1983, which prohibited purse seines or pair trawling.