TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: An uniform ban on mechanised fishing will come into force along the western coast this monsoon.
At a meeting held in Delhi on Wednesday which was attended by Union Agriculture Minister and the Fisheries Ministers, the three States of Goa, Maharashtra and Karnataka have agreed for a 61-day fishing ban starting from June 1.
Fisheries Minister, Avertano Furtado said the three States of Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka will observe an uniform fishing ban along the western coast from June 1. “There were ambiguities in the implementation of the fishing ban along the western coast in the past. Because of the ambiguities, fishing boats from other States used to fish inside the territorial waters of Goa, triggering protests from the local fishermen”, Avertano said, adding that the agreement between the three States will now bring about an uniform ban in the fishing season.
The Fisheries Minister said that ex-CM and Defence Minister Manohar Parirkar and Fisheries Director Dr Sharmila Monteiro attended the meeting in the national capital.
In the meantime, Furtado said a mobile fish van is expected to be launched later this month if everything goes well. “We are planning to launch at least one of the five such mobile vans in the State later this month. We are working out the modalities”, he said.
