WEDNESDAY, APRIL 17, 2024
Team Herald
PANJIM: Traditional fishermen on Tuesday threatened to paralyse Goa with a mega morcha, if the State government fails to act against LED fishing and bull trawling along the Goa coast, within a month.
Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott general secretary Olencio Simoes questioned what the Fisheries Department, Coast Guard and marine police have been doing since they had not detained a single vessel using LED lights for fishing. The fishermen alleged that the Fisheries Department was in league with LED using boats and suspect a nexus between the officials of the Fisheries Department, Fisheries Minister and a handful of trawler owners.
Simoes said that LED lights powered by additional 100 kv genset/ generator attract fish up to from five kilometres and due to the intense heat generated by the lights, the juvenile fish are killed along with destruction of all corals and marine vegetation.
Simoes feared that if the State government fails to initiate stern action against the violators then Goa, which is the second State for fish export, will head towards extinction of wild fisheries and join a few others countries where fisheries had come to halt because of such destructive gears.
Goa Pradesh Fisherman Congress Cell chairman Vasant Naik said Malpe fishermen were using 100 KV power for LED fishing, destroying small fish and depleting the fish reserves along the Goa coast. He also demanded that the fuel subsidy of Rs 50,000, which has been reduced to Rs 20,000 be restored.
