Kerala fishing community strikes against offshore mining

The coastal strike was called by the Fisheries Coordination Committee (FCC) which comprises members of trade unions allied to the Left parties and the Congress.

The strike began at midnight on Thursday with fishing vessels anchored to the coast, fish sales and fish processing units coming to a standstill and thousands of fisherfolk participating in protest meetings across the state throughout the day.

The fishing organisations said that the move to conduct offshore mining near the Kerala coast will affect the marine ecosystem, particularly fish produce, thereby harming the livelihoods of fish workers.