Organised by the Directorate of Fisheries, Government
of Goa in collaboration with National Fisheries Development Board (NFDB),
Government of India, Hyderabad, the Aqua Goa Mega Fish Festival was recently
held for four days at Navelim, Salcete from January 7 to 10, 2016 and drew huge
crowds from all over. The festival now shifts to Mapusa, Bardez where it will
be held from January 16 to 17. The state
government through the fisheries department also officially declared ‘Xevto’ as
the State Fish of Goa at the launch of the festival in Navelim.
The festival was a treat for all,
especially the students and traditional fishermen. “We aimed at getting more
school students to attend the festival so that they could learn about ocean and
river water lives closely. We also organised master classes and talks for the
fishermen of Goa to share information about new techniques of fishing,” said
Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado.
Various seminars were organised at the fish festival.
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On Sunday, the first seminar was addressed
by the Director, CSIR, NIO, Dona Paula on the topic of impact of climate change
on fisheries resources. The second seminar was by the Principal Chief
Conservator of Forests, Forest Department on the topic ‘Conservation of Marine
Wild Life of Goa’. The final seminar was addressed by the Director, Central
Institute of Fisheries Technology, Cochin on the topic of post harvest
technology and value addition.
The motto of the festival is to promote
Goa’s rich fish culture, the fishing industry and to create awareness among the
general public. The festival also seeks to l provide a common platform for
stakeholders to come together to build a strong economy and sustainability in
the Fisheries Sector and to form a win-win bond between the traditional fishing
industry and a technology driven industry, which will benefit the fishing
community and create general awareness and promotion of upcoming entrepreneurs
in the fishing industry.
The festival has over 44 stalls of Goa’s
rich, varied and amazing underwater world, exhibitions and sales of various
aqua products and variety of sea food delicacies. The highlight of the event is
an aquarium fish gallery consisting of marine, fresh water, exotic and
commercial fish, live fish pond, commercial stalls, competitions and quiz
contests for children and adults, seminars, entertainment programme.
