T’puram: The state has decided to create a 100-member network of harbour-based sea rescue squads across 15 harbours to strengthen its emergency response system for fishermen as Kerala’s fishing community continues to face a persistent threat from rough seas and maritime accidents. The project’s estimated cost is Rs 3 crore and govt has accorded administrative sanction for Rs 2 crore. The fisheries director was told to submit a separate proposal for additional funds from the Rs 50 crore allocated to the department.The proposed squads will comprise personnel who have undergone sea rescue training, with their certificates to be revalidated. The department will provide further training as required to keep the teams equipped for rescue operations.The move assumes significance as official data showed that 469 fishermen were killed and another 160 were reported missing at sea off Kerala’s 560km coast from 2015-16 to 2025-26. During the same period, 47,773 fishermen were rescued in 5,072 sea rescue missions.“The idea is to have trained rescue personnel available at harbours so that when a distress call comes from the sea, the response does not have to start from scratch. The new system is intended to make rescue faster and better coordinated, particularly during the rough-sea season,” said a senior fisheries department official.The new squads are intended to put trained rescue personnel closer to harbours, enabling quicker response when boats or fishermen run into trouble at sea. The system will also have rescue control rooms to coordinate emergency operations and support rescue efforts during disasters.The scale of the rescue effort already being undertaken also underlines the need for a stronger permanent mechanism. The latest figures are particularly telling. In 2025-26, rescue teams brought 6,556 fishermen to safety in 560 rescue operations, the highest number of people rescued in a year in the said time period. Yet 55 fishermen were killed and three were reported missing that year.The worst year was 2017-18 when cyclone Ockhi hit the state, with 79 fishermen killed and 29 reported missing. Deaths were also high in 2023-24 (54) and 2024-25 (49). The initiative comes amid renewed concern over fishermen going missing at sea, with three fishermen reported missing in separate mishaps off Neendakara, Muthalapozhi and Vizhinjam on July 31.
