FRIDAY, APRIL 19, 2024
Team Herald
VASCO: Accusing the State government of failing to curb bull trawling by Malpe fishing trawlers in Goan territorial waters since last year, Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) president Agnelo Rodrigues on Sunday flayed the Goan purse seine boat owners for being silent on the issue.
In a press release, Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott stated that the Fisheries Department in 2016 and the Central Government in 2017 banned the use of bull or pair trawling in the territorial waters and Indian Exclusive Zone (EEZ), but still today over thousand Karnataka trawlers are operating within the territorial waters of the State and continue to use these banned destructive gears without fear of law or Goa government.
“These Malpe trawlers not only use destructive gears to fish but also high speed China engines which completely clear the seabed within few days, thereby completely destroying the nursing grounds of several species of fish and marine ecology,” Rodrigues alleged.
“If the Malpe boats are not stopped immediately and continue to enter Goan territorial waters then our traditional Goan fishermen and small boat owners will have no fish to harvest for the rest of the season. If this continues, then it will be detrimental to the fishing community of Goa since today most fishermen are returning home empty-handed” he claimed.
General secretary Olencio Simoes demanded immediate action from the Fisheries Director and Fisheries Minister against these Malpe boats entering Goa stating that if they are not impounded then it is certain that Goa which is second the State for fish exports will head towards fish extinction of wild fisheries and soon Goa will join other countries such as Norway, Denmark, Oman, New Zealand, Australia etc, where fisheries had come to halt due to such destructive gears.
“If action is not initiated immediately then Goan fishermen will be forced to take law into their hands,” GRE warned.
“These Malpe trawlers have not only overexploited our fish catch but have also destroyed our nets while fishing. Hope necessary action will be taken,” Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott added.
