15 Apr 2020  |   04:27am IST

OLENCIO IS NOT A FISHERMAN AND HAS NO REASON TO TAKE UP ISSUES RELATED TO FISHING SAYS GFBOA

Hitting back at GRE General secretary Olencio Simoes for demanding that only traditional fishermen before allowed fishing activity, Goa fishing boat owners association (GFBOA) president Jose Philip Dsouza said that Simoes was not a Fisherman and had no reason to address fishing related issues " Simoes is speaking rubbish and he does not know what he says when he is in front of the camera. We are Niz traditional fishermen and have become trawler owners after starting from scratch as ramponkars and we know the fishing issues more than him. He must know facts before placing allegations. Our workers arrive in August and are on the boats only and come on land only for a few hours and how can they be spreading coronavirus? Our workers don't come on land. Simoes must not talk rubbish and I don't know why he is speaking on fishing issues despite not even being a Fisherman " said DSouza Dsouza said that the fishing industry had faced huge losses In the start of the fishing season for three months due to cyclone " we were left with no choice in those three months where we had to take care of our workers with no business and our boats anchored at sea. Today another month has gone amidst the lockdown and today our monthly expenses for maintainence and salaries work out to around 5-6 Lakhs and all of us are in deep trouble and huge losses and that is one reason why we wrote to the CM Dr Pramod Sawant explaining our issues and I thank the government for lifting the fishing ban . Despite facing losses, we have supported the call of the lockdown and if the Government can sympathize with us, then the government should support us and give us some financial assistance or a package if possible " said DSouza