Incessant rains, outside trawlers hit local fishermen business
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, OCT 24
Fishermen community from Goa have kept their fingers crossed as incessant rains have cut down their catch and also high powered trawlers from neighbouring states have added to their misery.
After facing almost 80 per cent downfall in the fish catch, the trawler owners have now said that state government should seriously do something about the trawlers fitted with high powered motors fishing in Goan waters.
Chairman of the Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Cooperative Society Menino Afonso told Herald that these trawlers arrive from Karnataka and Kerala and go away with the prized catch leaving Goan trawlers high and dry.
He said that these trawlers are fitted with 360 brake horsepower (BHP) motors compared to 140 BHP motors installed on Goan vessels.
Afonso said that the fishermen are already reeling under immense fish scarcity due to bad weather and their worries are added by these trawlers who net good catch right under their nose.
“They disturb even the smaller fishes underwater,” he said adding that the menace is increasing which had forced them to meet Goa Chief Minister Digamber Kamat and fisheries minister Joaquim Alemao seeking their intervention.
“We don’t want that even Goan trawlers should go for such high powered motors,” he claimed. The fishermen are also battering the rains as activity as Malim jetty is clearly evident of how rain Gods has not spared the fishing. Out of 300-odd trawler boats at Malim, nearly 75 percent boats have evaded fishing for a week.
“The weather did not allow our trawler boats to venture off shore. Those who managed to enter the sea returned only with mackerels. They had to cut short their trip because of thundering and strong sea currents,” Afonso rued.
The challenge before the jetty is indeed varieties fish catch, reduction of which has degenerated revenue. While only mackerels’ catch has boomed, it is being sold off cheap at Rs 20 per kilo, its price last year was as high as Rs 70 per kilo.
“We hardly have any fish for export this month. We are only exporting mackerels,” said the Chairman who claims losses running into lakhs.
The problem-stricken jetty expected ample ‘Ribon fish’ and ‘squid’ catch via trawling and ‘King fish’, ‘Pamphlets’ and ‘Tuna fish’ catch via persuine nets. The serene look at the jetty can be transformed into a buzzing centre, provided the weather is favourable for fishing.
