Mangaluru : The annual 61-day fishing ban coinciding with the onset of monsoon, came into effect on Wednesday.

As monsoon is the breeding season for fishes, government had banned fishing till July 31 under the Karnataka Coastal Fishing (Regulation) Act, 1986.

The ban is to facilitate breeding of fish in sea. According to the Fisheries department, mechanised boats and traditional boats fitted with inboard or outboard engines of 10 HP and above are banned from fishing during the period.

The ban was enforced following excessive fishing during monsoon having an adverse impact on fish catch during the fishing season. The traditional fishing boats fitted with less than 10 hp engines are permitted to carry out fishing. Those violating the ban will not be eligible for subsidised diesel for a period of 12 months.

Owing to the Asani cyclone in May, a majority of the fishing boats had remained anchored at the Old Port in Mangaluru. Labourers from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha and Jharkhand work in boats sailing for deep sea fishing.