TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
CANACONA: Three fish-breeding cages installed off the Talpona coast as part of the government’s ambitious Rs 1.7 crore ‘Fish Culture Project’ have been washed ashore at Palolem beach.
According to local sources, one cage was washed ashore at the main entrance to Palolem beach on Monday evening, while two more cages reached near the shore towards the Ourem side of Palolem beach on Tuesday morning. Lifeguards later brought all three cages to the shore.
It was only later in the day that locals identified the cages as part of Central government’s ‘Fish Culture Project’ which was adopted by the State government. As part of the scheme, Rs 1.7 crore was to be utilized to breed specialized fish in the sea along 50 sites in different coastal areas of the State.
About 15-odd cages were installed at the Polem coast, while another six cages were set up at Talpona at the fag end of November 2013 in the presence of Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado, Sports Minister Ramesh Tawadkar and Velim MLA Benjamin D’Silva. The fertilized fish eggs of Chonak and Modso were released at both places.
After six months of breeding, sizeable quantities of Chonak and Modso fish were later sold in Navelim and elsewhere in the State, informed sources.
According to a source in the local fisheries department office, the fish from all cages in Polem and Talpona were taken out and sold, while the protective nets in the cages had been removed.
“The empty fish cages from the Polem seawater were taken off and secured on the coast, while the Talpona fish cages were still lying in the seawater after the nets were salvaged,” informed the source.
Speaking to Herald, some employees of the fisheries department, who are working to salvage the three fish cages washed ashore at Palolem, confirmed that the three cages which were washed ashore were among the six such cages kept in the sea off the Talpona coast.
“There the other three fish cages at Talpona could have been washed ashore somewhere else, as sea has turned rough since the past few days,” informed a worker.
When enquired, it was informed that the fisheries extension officer visits the taluka BDO office only once a week, but a source told Herald that the cages washed ashore would be properly salvaged at Palolem.
However, the source was unable to explain why the cages were kept in the Talpona Sea, when the fish had been taken out long ago and the nets had also been removed.
