Cyclone Arnab Halts Deep‑Sea Fishing in Thoothukudi for Second Day

What Happened

Cyclone Arnab forced fishermen in Thoothukudi to stay ashore for a second day as the sea stayed rough. The India Meteorological Department warned that the Bay of Bengal would see high waves after the cyclone. Mechanised deep‑sea boats from Thoothukidi Fishing Harbour were told to return to shore on Monday and obeyed the order. On Tuesday, October 27, 2026, the weather did not improve, so the same boats stayed on land. Only a handful of fishermen from Terespuram and New Harbour Beach took small country boats close to the coast and came back with a modest catch. The New Harbour Beach crew tried their luck with a traditional “Karai Madi” shore net, cast from a boat and hauled in by more than thirty men on the beach. After hours of pulling the net they managed about 350 kg of sardines along with smaller trevally and white snapper. Photographs from New Harbour beach showed the crew pulling the net together.

Context

Rough seas after a cyclone often halt deep‑sea fishing, pushing crews to rely on near‑shore methods. The “Karai Madi” net is a common local technique that lets fishermen harvest what the storm leaves near the coast.