Thiruvananthapuram, June 9 : Starting midnight Wednesday fishing trawlers will have to keep off 12 nautical miles away from the Kerala coast as the 52-day-long trawling ban will come into effect. This has been the case since 1988, when trawling ban was first enforced. The ban is, however, not applicable to the traditional fishermen who engage in fishing in the sea on the traditional boats. The reason for the banned is that it is the breeding season for fish and any disturbance to that process depletes fish wealth. Any trawler which breaks the rules is fined. Fish is considered one of the most important dish in a huge majority of the Kerala households. The ban is expected to hike the fish prices by 25 per cent. Kerala has over 200 marine fishing villages and the total fishermen is in excess of seven lakhs. The state government during the ban period provides relief to the fisherfolks by way of ration. /IANS