25 Jun 2017  |   06:21am IST

Your fish isnt Goan. But does it really matter?

With the ban on fishing underway in Goa, the shortage of fish is being countered by the freshest catch coming from across the state’s borders. Café finds that the abundant supply of seafood coming from Andhra, Orissa and other states along the east coast, is relieving the stress not only in the Goan kitchens but also on the wallets

Kishore Amati

Much like the fish that cannot survive without water, the typical Goan struggles, almost for his life, when the freshest catch of the day doesn’t make it to his plate. The fish when gone missing, is an issue of national importance here, well almost, and no vegetarian substitutes can make up for the loss. Exaggeration aside, akin to every year, the 61 days fishing ban along the 105 km-long coastline of Goa, is currently underway. The ban that began on May 31 and will go on till July 31 has ensured that around 1500 trawlers have rested their men and nets by being off the Goa's territorial waters. And while the motive of the ban is to allow fish to spawn during the period, the absence of fish in the Goan kitchens is… still an issue of national importance!

But things aren’t all that bad. In fact, things are great. To relieve Goa of this stress, the state’s neighbours have come to the rescue. Abundant supply of the freshest fish is pouring in from the east coast, primarily from the states of Andhra Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, etc. Almost all types of fish that one would usually scour for in the Goan markets, are available. But the best part of the deal is that it is cheaper. The ‘outsider’ fish is much easier on the pocket than the usual vatto found during other times in the fish market.

Lara Carvalho, a fisherwoman who travels from her home in Goa Velha to the Panjim fish market, says, “Most of the fish comes from Margao. With the ban on, Goan trawlers cannot venture out in the sea. But we still have Shenvtto (Mallet), prawns, Mackerel and Shark that finds many takers.”

While the Betim wholesale fish market is wearing a deserted look, the Margao fish market couldn’t have been busier. For this is the current fish ‘headquarters’ from where the fresh procurement changes hands to make inroads into other Goan cities, towns, waddos and tintos. When Café made a quick visit to the Margao fish market, the sight was reminiscent of the way they show it in the web series ‘Narcos’. ‘Stuff’ being offloaded from the mother trucks, to be then checked for quality and the loaded onto the supplier trucks, with the only difference being all business here was well within the confines of the law. The amount of goods that exchange hands here is overwhelming; even the Mexican drug lord Pablo Escobar would be humbled.

Sainath Naik, a resident of Borda who is rather thrilled with the current state of affairs, says, “The kingfish, squids, red snapper, prawns, sardines, mackerel – you name it and you’ll find it here. I’m surprised that it is marginally cheaper. Having said that, not everything is cheaper – some continue to sell for the same price and a few are on the higher side. But unlike last year, where we had to rely on limited varieties of fish coming from Karnataka, this year, all types of fish is available.”

They say, a bad neighbour is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a blessing. As far as the fishy matters are concerned, it is safe to say that the latter definitely holds true in Goa’s case.