MARGAO: The All Goa Small-Scale Responsible Fisheries Union have hit out at the Fisheries Department for failing to take action against their complaints about alleged purse seine fishing during the National Games at a time when traditional fishermen were banned from venturing out into certain areas due to tournaments of the National Games.
The Union said it strongly condemned the Fisheries Department for this.
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They claimed that inspite of telephonic complaints to the control room of the Fisheries department there was no action against alleged illegal purse seine fishing that took place near Dona Paula Jetty on the mouth of Zuari river.
The union further alleged that this took place when the National Games were underway and thereby violated section 144 imposed by the North Goa Collector due to National Games. They added that this was another instance to show the alleged bias of the Fisheries Department.
“Director of Fisheries had warned the fishermen to such an extent that even the presence of fishing boats on Vainguinim beach was intolerable and wanted to clear off canoes like garbage bins within 20 days with the ban on fishing. Now it is clear that the Fisheries department allowed illegal fishing to go on at Dona Paula Jetty thereby confirming a nexus between the purse seiners and the department of Fisheries,” the union leaders alleged in a media statement.
“At the venue of National Games at Dona Paula only small-scale fishers are banned while purse seiners carry the loot with impunity. How many people from the fishing community are there in the Fisheries department who can understand fishing issues properly? Goa’s great fishing tragedy continues with the Fisheries department being an active collaborator of fishing loot,” the union members alleged further.
