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Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Indian Express
The young man and the sea: 28-year-old missing after duel with marlin fish
Yerraya C was no Santiago. For one, he was only 28, his years stretching out like the endless expanse of sea he ventured into every day as he set out fishing. But like Santiago, the ageing protagonist of the Ernest Hemingway classic, The Old Man and the Sea, one day, the young fisherman met his marlin. At the end of a grueling battle, the marlin dragged Yerraya into the waters. He has been missing since then. Marlins are one of the fiercest predatory fish species, with black marlins, the one Yerraya encountered, considered among the fastest. That day, July 3, Yerraya, his younger brother C Koralaya, 26, and two others, had set out in their fishing boat from Pudimadaka village in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh. 'We set sail around 2 am. By around 9 am, a Kommu Konam (Telugu for marlin) got caught in the net. It was big, must have weighed about 200 kg,' says Koralaya. While the others suggested that they cut the net, Yerraya insisted that they will be able to haul in the fish. 'After all, he has been fishing since he was 7. He was a big, strong man, so he kept fighting with the fish,' Koralaya says of his elder brother. The marlin splashed and pulled at the net from the other end, with Yerraya trying hard to draw the line. But his legs got caught in the net and the fish dragged him into the waters. His fellow fishermen tried rescuing Yerraya. One of them, V Yellaji, swam after Yerraya for about 30 minutes. 'He kept looking for Yerraya under the waters, but couldn't find him,' says Koralaya. On July 4, the Anakapalli police lodged a missing person's complaint after the Coast Guard searched for an entire day. 'The search operation by the Coast Guard was launched after the fishermen could not find Yerraya. We suspect no foul play in the incident. It was an accident as per our investigation,' said N Ganesh, Inspector of Atchutapuram police station. 'As per the statement given by co-fishermen, it's a marlin attack. The Coast Guard too indicated that it is a Marlin attack,' said P Vijaya, District Fisheries Officer. 'It has been six days and there's no news of him,' says C Devi, Yerraya's elder sister. Marlin attacks are not uncommon along Andhra Pradesh's northern coast with the fish, weighing 80-200 kg, sometimes getting caught in the nets of unsuspecting fishermen. In February 2022, fisherman Molli Joganna was impaled by a marlin along the Anakapalli coast. As Joganna tried hauling in the catch, the marlin, which had broken free, pierced his stomach with its long, sharp snout. Joganna's body was retrieved from the sea. 'At least his body was found. My brother is missing,' says Devi. Yerraya family and the other villagers in Pudimadaka say they are not surprised he volunteered to haul in the marlin. 'He loved the sea. He started accompanying our father to the sea when he was seven,' says Bhavani, Yerraya's younger sister. Marlins, if netted well, are a bonus for the fishermen as the meaty fish sells for Rs 1,000 a kg, almost as much as seerfish. But the fish is also hunted for sport. 'It is considered an adventure to net a marlin and bring it to the shore. Yerraya would always be the first to take on a challenge. No wonder he tried pulling the marlin into the boat,' says Devi. Venkata Ramana, sarpanch of Pudimadaka village and a fisherman himself, says, 'From what the other fishermen told me, the line got heavy but Yerraya was adamant that he could pull the line and catch the fish, however big it may have been. But then things went out of control. To net a marlin is considered a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.' According to the AP Traditional Fisher Workers Union, between 2015 and 2025, around 200 fishermen have gone missing in the sea during deep-water fishing. 'There are several cases which have gone unreported too,' says K Varalakshmi of the fisher workers' union. Devi says there was more to Yerraya than his fishing. He liked boxing, bodybuilding, and adored film star-turned-politician Pawan Kalyan. 'He wanted to be a bouncer or a security guard for Pawan Kalyan. In 2019, he went all the way to Kadapa to see if he can meet someone who knew the star. He didn't succeed, but kept hoping he would work with Pawan Kalyan's security staff some day,' says Devi. Though Yerraya is yet to be found, at his home in Pudimadaka, relatives have gathered to hold a funeral of sorts. 'No one is searching for him anymore. They say he is buried at sea,' says Devi. 'We have no hope he will return.'
Time of India
04-07-2025
- Time of India
Fisherman pulled into sea by suspected marlin off Andhra coast; search underway
A 28-year-old fisherman, Chodapalli Yerayya , has gone missing in the sea after being pulled into deep waters by a large fish—believed to be a black marlin—around 20 nautical miles off the north Andhra coast. Yerayya, a resident of Pudimadaka coastal village in Atchutapuram mandal, Anakapalle district, was fishing with three others when the incident occurred. According to police, Yerayya was using a line fishing method and had just cast his bait when a massive marlin—locally known as 'Kommu Konam'—bit the hook. Caught off guard by the fish's power, Yerayya was dragged into the sea before he could react. Despite frantic efforts by his fellow fishermen and alerts to nearby boats, Yerayya could not be located, raising fears that he may have drowned. This marks the second marlin-related incident in Anakapalle district in recent years. In February 2022, Molli Joganna, another fisherman from the region, was fatally impaled by a black marlin while fishing about 60 nautical miles from the coast. Joganna had entered the water to check a net when the trapped marlin escaped and pierced his abdomen with its sharp snout. He died instantly despite rescue attempts. Black marlins are massive predatory fish, often weighing hundreds of kilograms and capable of swimming at speeds up to 109 km/h in short bursts. Their spear-like beaks make them particularly dangerous when agitated or entangled. Speaking on the recent incident, Atchutapuram SI N. Ganesh confirmed that search operations involving coastal security police and local fisherfolk are ongoing and will resume on Friday. Meanwhile, district fisheries officer G. Vijaya explained that while such incidents are rare, 'a powerful fish like a marlin can potentially drag a fisherman into the sea when it takes the bait.' Live Events Authorities continue to monitor the area and urge fishermen to exercise extreme caution while using line bait techniques in deep-sea waters. [Inputs from TOI] Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
Time of India
03-07-2025
- Time of India
Marlin fish pulls fisherman into sea, fisherman goes missing in Visakhapatnam's Anakapalle coast
VISAKHAPATNAM: A 26-year-old fisherman went missing in the sea after a large fish pulled him into sea while fishing in the blue waters (15 nautical miles off Bay of Bengal) in north coastal Andhra Pradesh. The missing person has been identified as Chodapalli Yerayya, a native of Pudimadaka coastal village in Atchutapuram mandal in Anakapalle district. Yerayya went fishing along with three others from Pudimadaka in a motorized boat on Wednesday morning. After sprawling the bait (line fishing method), Yerayya on board was pulling it. However, a large blue marlin (locally known as kommu konam) fish took the bait and Yerayya was unprepared for the force of the fish pulling on the line, resulting in the fish pulling him into the waters and he went missing in the waters. Though the remaining three fishermen on board and other fishermen searched for Yerayya, their efforts proved futile. It is not the first time that such incidents were reported. A few such incidents were reported on the Vizag coast in the past. Such incidents are possible for a large fish to pull a fisherman into the sea. This usually happens when a powerful fish takes the bait and the fisherman is unable to manage the force of the fish pulling on the line, said Joint Director of Fisheries Department, Anakapalle district, G Vijaya. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 월 평균 148만원 부업! 부업 하실 분 찾습니다 메리츠파트너스 더 알아보기 Undo The search for the missing Yerayya is on, she added. It may be recalled fisherman Molli Joganna was impaled by a huge black marlin fish while he was fishing in the Bay of Bengal, off Andhra Pradeh's Anakapalle coast in February 2022. The tragic incident occurred when Jogannawas attacked by the giant marlin, which is one of the most aggressive fishes known and has a spear-like snout. Joganna was a native of Mutyalammapalem coast in Anakapalle district A group of five fishermen on a traditional boat ventured into the Bay of Bengal for fishing (60 nautical miles from the shore). When the fishermen were lifting the net, they observed that the net was heavy, and they struggled to pull the net. Suspecting that something happened in the net, Joganna ventured into the waters to check. The marlin, which weighed around 80 kgs escaped from the net and pierced Joganna's stomach with its sharp snout. Rescue efforts by the other fishermen failed and they brought Joganna's body ashore. The fishermen said that the demand for the Marlin fish (Kommu Konam) is high in the market and at the same time a lot of risk is also while netting the Kommu Konam fish. Unlike other fishes, Marlin fish attack with its sharp snout. The fishermen also said the size of the fish ranges from 50 kgs to 150 kgs. EOM
