To see the sea: Waves of challenges in a day of a fisherman
The fishermen who brave the seas to earn their livelihoods face numerous problems each and every day. The challenges, dangers and anxious moments that await them across the bounding waves build a world where the elements of nature reign supreme and man turns into a mere toy in their hands. The fishing boats which go about their business swaying in the surging waves, struggle in the wake of speeding cargo vessels, face checks and enquiries of the Coast Guard, and sometimes encounter terrific occurrences and fall into strange predicaments.
The waves that welcome you below!!
The trouble of a fisherman begins at the estuary, gateway to the sea, which creates a hindrance to boats sometimes due to the silt deposited. There are numerous instances where a fellow fisherman was thrown overboard, never to resurface, without the awareness of his comrades in a rough sea. Such unfortunate souls drown silently into the depths of an all welcoming sea. A few fortunate individuals receive help immediately or other boats which happened to notice them rush to rescue, all depending upon favourable conditions. Every time a fisherman enters the sea, he is never sure if he will make it home.
The Unwanted Guests
Fishing is never a sail across a smooth sea. One of the great woes of the fishermen is those fish which can’t be sold due to lack of demand and also due to their inedibility. Puffer fish, puche meen, coral snakes and jelly fish belong to this category. This marine life not only harms the valuable fishing net but also is hazardous due to its venom.
Whale-Dolphin Connection
Whales, the kings of the deep ocean, sometimes rise above water and teach the philosophy of life to the fishermen. These gargantuan sea creatures make the punitive men in sea realize how small their existence is. Every fisherman who has seen a whale in the sea remembers its dignified demeanor. Similarly, one of the happiest moments in a fisherman’s life is witnessing the antics of dolphins. Called suyimpe, kheeri and panji meen in Tulu, dolphins are considered man’s best friends. Their hops, leaps and stunts at very close quarters are really mesmerizing. There is no doubt that the close association of these intelligent creatures with human beings is a cause of envy among all marine life.
A Cry that Melts Hearts
The fishing nets sometimes catch sea turtles and dolphins too. When the turtles bite and destroy the nets in a bid to escape, dolphins exhibit a heard rending behavior on realizing their proximity to death. As the fishermen retract the net, it starts wriggling to indicate that it isn’t ready to be taken away. Many fishermen report hearing a baby-like weeping sound that emanates from these marine creatures. Dolphins literally shed tears and make a fervent plea with their eyes if pulled to surface. A fisherman fishes only to feed his family, he is not a cruel hearted beast. When he sees the crying dolphin, he clears the net out of its path, pats it head as if it was his own child and sends the bag of joy on its path to freedom.
Robbers in the middle of sea!!
Yes, you heard it right. Our coastal line is witnessing a new phenomenon of robbers in the middle of the sea. In last January, a fishing boat in the deep seas near Kapu in Udupi district was raided by a band of robbers who arrived on a boat. They assaulted the 6 fishermen and snatched away 12 boxes of catch worth lakhs, along with 4 smart phones. In the present times of extreme fish scarcity, such crimes hit the fishermen, who are mere daily wagers, much harder. Administrators need to look into these issues to ease the lives of these poor folk.
Shipwrecks of the depths
Wrecks of large modern cargo ships, timber-built sailing ships called manjis and the remains of fishing trawlers stay waiting in the depths to trouble the fishing boats. Called kolpu in Tulu, these wrecks spell trouble to the fishing nets, completely destroying them. Sometimes the rocks in seabed also destroy the nets. Occasionally, ropes and nets get entangled in the propellers of their own boats. This is really lethal for the divers who will have to swim under the boats in shark infested waters and untangle them.
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Bondi Beach shooting suspect conducted firearms training with his father, Australian police say
Melbourne (AP): A man accused of killing 15 people at Sydney's Bondi Beach conducted firearms training in an area of New South Wales state outside of Sydney with his father, Australian police documents released on Monday allege.
The men recorded a video about their justification for the meticulously planned attack, according to a police statement of facts that was made public following Naveed Akram's video court appearance Monday from a Sydney hospital where he has been treated for an abdominal injury.
Officers wounded Akram at the scene of the Dec. 14 shooting and killed his father, 50-year-old Sajid Akram.
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The New South Wales state government confirmed Naveed Akram was transferred on Monday from a hospital to a prison. Neither facility was identified by authorities.
The statement alleges the 24-year-old and his father began their attack by throwing four improvised explosive devices toward a crowd celebrating an annual Jewish event at Bondi Beach, but the devices failed to explode.
Police described the devices as three aluminium pipe bombs and a tennis ball bomb containing an explosive, black powder and steel ball bearings. None detonated, but police described them as “viable” IEDs.
Authorities have charged Akram with 59 offences, including 15 counts of murder, 40 counts of causing harm with intent to murder in relation to the wounded survivors and one count of committing a terrorist act.
The antisemitic attack at the start of the eight-day Hanukkah celebration was Australia's worst mass shooting since a lone gunman killed 35 people in Tasmania state in 1996.
The New South Wales government introduced draft laws to Parliament on Monday that Premier Chris Minns said would become the toughest in Australia.
The new restrictions would include making Australian citizenship a condition of qualifying for a firearms license. That would have excluded Sajid Akram, who was an Indian citizen with a permanent resident visa.
Sajid Akram also legally owned six rifles and shotguns. A new legal limit for recreational shooters would be a maximum of four guns.
Police said a video found on Naveed Akram's phone shows him with his father "reciting their political and religious views and appear to summarise their justification for the Bondi terrorist attack.”
The men are seen in the video “condemning the acts of Zionists” while they also “adhere to a religiously motivated ideology linked to the Islamic State,” police said.
Video shot in October shows them “firing shotguns and moving in a tactical manner” on grassland surrounded by trees, police said.
“There is evidence that the Accused and his father meticulously planned this terrorist attack for many months,” police allege.
