Sri Vijaya Puram, Aug. 29: The Indian Coast Guard has engaged the fishing community in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to strengthen maritime safety and coastal security, with discussions focusing on search and rescue challenges and the inadvertent activation of Distress Alert Transmitters.
The interaction was organised by the Indian Coast Guard Regional Headquarters (A&N), Sri Vijaya Puram, under the aegis of Headquarters A&N Command. It brought together fishing boat owners and masters, representatives of the Department of Fisheries and members of the fishing community.
The discussions centred on issues that can affect Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) operations. Fishermen were sensitised to the challenges encountered during such operations, including the consequences of accidentally activating Distress Alert Transmitters (DATs).
As part of the outreach, the Coast Guard distributed Safety Guidebooks to members of the fishing community. The guides have been published in Bengali, Tamil, Telugu and English, providing fishermen with a ready reference on essential safety practices and precautions to follow while operating at sea.
The interaction also addressed the role of fishermen in supporting coastal security across the islands. The Coast Guard encouraged members of the fishing community to remain vigilant while at sea and promptly report suspicious activity.
The initiative seeks to strengthen coordination and cooperation between maritime security agencies and the fishing community, which has a direct presence across the islands’ waters. Fishermen were encouraged to contribute to the coastal security mechanism by remaining alert during their routine activities at sea.
The Coast Guard emphasised the fishing community’s role as the “Eyes and Ears” of security agencies. The approach places greater emphasis on community participation in identifying and reporting activities that could have implications for coastal security.
The interaction combined safety awareness with coordination between fishermen, fisheries authorities and the Coast Guard. The distribution of multilingual guidebooks was intended to provide practical safety information that fishermen can refer to while operating at sea.
The engagement forms part of efforts to improve awareness of maritime safety practices while strengthening cooperation with the fishing community on coastal security. Fishermen were urged to maintain vigilance and support security agencies by reporting suspicious activity encountered during their operations at sea.
