Royapuram fishing harbour, also known as Chennai fishing harbour or Kasimedu fishing harbour, is one of the major fishing grounds for catching fishes and crustaceans located at Kasimedu in the Royapuram area of Chennai, India. Located north of the Chennai Port, the harbour was constructed in 1975.[1] It is primarily a fisherman community area migrated from Chepauk village in 1799 during the rule of the East India Company. The fishing harbour is under the administrative control of the Chennai Port Trust. The harbour is also a ship building, chiefly building fishing boats. The nearest railway station is the Royapuram Railway Station.
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The breakwater inside the harbour leads up to 300 m into the sea. The draft alongside the wharf is 2 m. Over 600 45-ft boats (each operated by 11 people), 200 30-ft boats (each operated by 4 people) and 300 fibre boats with outboard motors (each operated by 3 to 4 people), in addition to hundreds of catamarans, use the harbour.[2]
Nearly 30,000 people visit the auction hall situated near the harbour everyday. Of the daily sales amounting to 200 tonnes, nearly 30 per cent is sent to other States such as Karnataka and Kerala and the remaining is provided for local markets.[3]
A retail fish market known as the Kasimedu fishing harbour market with 90 stalls is located within the Chennai fishing harbour complex adjacent to the auction shed of the fishing harbour and behind the Office of the Fishing Harbour Management Committee. The market sells a variety of fishes including seer, pomfret, prawn, shark, sardine, crab, silverbellies, carangids and mackerel.[4]
The harbour was extensively damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami,[5] especially the 500-m trawler wharf, which can berth nearly 500 mechanised boats. The tsunami resulted in the destruction of about 61 trawlers in the harbour, in addition to partly damaging 43 trawlers and causing minor damage to nearly 400 trawlers. The total loss is estimated at about 160-200 million.[2]
Among its various activities along the coast of India, Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (OSTI) of the National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) undertakes biofouling studies at the harbour.[6]
In December 2011, the Fisheries Department issued work order for a project to improve the facilities at the fishing harbour at a cost of 170 million. The renovation also includes demolition and rebuilding of the auction hall. The work is expected to be completed by 2012.[3]
A 2.5 acre land in Kasimedu has been shortlisted along with a 7-acre land in Vaniyanchavadi on Rajiv Gandhi Salai for a modern fish processing park. The park would initially focus mainly on fish catch by 600 mechanised boats in Chennai. The park is likely to attract large fishing vessels to Chennai to facilitate value addition to their catch. Now Chennai receives fish arrivals through just five or six large fishing vessels.[7]