Fishing in Troubled Waters
Despite announcing its intent to impose a fishing holiday or fishing ban for all mechanized trawlers and canoes in the State for 75 days, a month longer than the 45 days of earlier years, the Goa government has been unable to get the sector to agree. A decision was taken by the Cabinet to increase the ban period to 61 days instead from June 1 to July 31, as against June 15 to July 31 of previous years.
In effect, though, the extra days make little real difference, as most of the 7000 estimated workers in the trawling sector leave by June 1 when pre-monsoon seas get rough just ahead of the South West monsoon striking Goa. The crucial period that the government was hoping to extend the ban period for, was a further month, or fifteen days until August 15. This period is one that the mechanized sector has opposed wholeheartedly, for it marks the period early August onwards when boats net the prized solar prawn catch, which they claim makes a big difference to their financials for the entire year.
When the present government announced its intent to implement a 75-day ban period to allow fish to spawn and replenish, several associations of trawler owners made all the right noises, supporting the government’s intent ~ but they have still managed to scupper an extension. They claimed willingness to adopt the 75-day ban, agreeing that a falling fish catch made the extension necessary. They, however, sought a similar ban on motorized canoes and strict implementation and patrolling by authorities to prevent boats from other states fishing in Goa’s waters while the ban was in place. Several meetings were initiated by the authorities, but the long simmering rivalry between the traditional fishing sector and mechanized sector saw the proposal of an extended ban fall through. This may well be a loss to the long-term interests of replenishing fish stocks and allowing fish to breed and grow to full size.
The arguments for a longer fishing holiday are well known. Some countries impose a three-month fishing holiday. Though there is a court directive to do so, the Centre has never been able to implement a uniform fishing holiday period for the west coast since fishing is a State Subject in the constitutional scheme of things. States have varying fishing holiday periods, with the argument that the monsoon sets in in a phased manner over the west coast. By and large, though, states have adhered to the June 15 to July 31 norm. The fierce competition between states and between mechanized and semi mechanized traditional fishing sectors has ensured that a longer monsoonal shutdown of fishing does not take place due to fears of territorial “poaching”. That the State government has even said it would enlist the help of the Navy and Coast Guard to ensure that trawlers from neighbouring states do not fish here during the ban period is indicative of the competition in the sector. That, however, does not change the balance for the marine life environment and its long-term continuation.
Economic surveys in Goa clearly suggest fish production has crossed maximum sustainable yield and that there is need to restrict fishing, though they describe the “industrial climate for fishing” as “quite satisfactory”. Though there is a qualitative and quantitative drop in fish production, the increasing demand in local and export markets means the sector is lucrative. With the arrival of mechanization in the 1980s, fish catch displayed a northward climb registering annual growth rates of 169 per cent from 1985 to 1993 according to studies. Within a decade, non-observation of a monsoonal fishing holiday and over-exploitation saw fish production decrease steadily, registering negative growth.
For the consumer in Goa where fish is a rapidly decreasing staple, what matters is the sustained scarcity that worsened this year. For this, local consumers can squarely blame fish exports from Goa that have risen despite falling production. In 2004, the State exported 8856 tonnes of fish for forex of Rs 39 crore, and in 2009, the export tonnage was 27,009 at Rs 195 crore. With a fractured, disorganized retail sector servicing local needs, domestic customers have little chance of accessing their favourite food, though they are probably paying much more in retail prices at the door-step than the wholesale prices that exporters walk away with.
people’s edit
Cricket’s Hall of Shame
Mithun Dey
Match fixing in cricket is not a recent phenomenon. In 1817, William Lambert was the first cricket star who was barred for life by MCC at Lords for his involvement in match fixing. Lambert was an English cricketer in the first couple of decades of the 19th century. Then again, in 1893, some British officers resorted to match fixing to win a match against a local team here in India.
Cricket is considered a wealthy gentleman’s game. The history of cricket is very long and rich. It is a game of around 700 years when there was a great deal of leisure time for the Lords of England mainly in the Victorian period. But truly, in the last 40 years, many recognized cricketers have been mixed up in serious match-fixing scandals. In the 19th century, England exported cricket to colonial India and the practice of spot fixing also made sources in the subcontinent.
In 1893, English cricketers along with officers attempted to exploit an Indian cricketer for winning a match between a British and local team of Champaner which is a historical city in Gujarat.
Sadly, cricket spot fixing incidents have become frequent news these days. The fixers have destroyed the match finally. Players are not only the people involved in match fixing but on some occasions, umpires are in the centre of a match fixing to change the fate of the game. It has marred the beauty of cricket and its decorum over the years. Often, allegations of match fixing against players surface, bringing shame to the spirit of the game.
Throughout the history of cricket, looking at the long list, there are a number of players who have been banned from the game of cricket for spot-fixing. The conviction of Pakistani cricketers Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir on allegations of match-fixing has come as a blow to cricket fans and the cricketing society.
Now, match fixing allegations have started to pop up in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Players are becoming much more money-minded in this game. Certainly, it is a purely business venture. Everyone is shocked. Making money is an important aspect of the IPL. It’s not real cricket. With the governing body showing a clear intent to put its mouth where the money is, IPL is definitely the way forward and I can see obviously how this impacts mainstream cricket.
