Confusion prevailed in Port Blair on Friday over allowing fishermen to go to the sea.

Overcoming the initial shock caused by the tsunamis, fishermen of Junglighat Colony (in Port Blair) on the seashore are now ready to venture into the sea.

"But we are being stopped by the administration. How do we survive? Our entire livelihood depends on fishing," Janki Rao, a fisherman said.

Fisheries Director K Krishnamurthy, however, denied that any such restriction was imposed. "Who has stopped them?"

Lt Governor Ram Kapse, on the other hand, stated, "We have to look after their safety. We will instruct them whenever we find that the situation is conducive."

The fishermen said they would not go to the sea if the government supplied them ration. The fishermen said they had gone to the fisheries directorate but not got ration for all.

"The ration is not reaching to everybody. Only some people got it," Chalapathi Rao, another fisherman, said.

Krishnamurthy, however, said the department has adequate stock of ration and was supplying them to the fishermen.

Another problem is that people are hesitating to buy fish fearing contamination.

• Tsunamis hit sale of fish; fear of contamination

Each family in the colony used to catch over 150kg of fish in a week and sell it in the market. Now, they have no takers.

"We are eating fish and nothing has happened to us," Chalapathi Rao pointed out.

But the fisheries director said his department could do nothing if people do not buy fish.

The Lt Governor was more circumspect. "Under the circumstances, it has to be seen which fish could be eaten."