Bad season for fishing community continues

Bad season for fishing community continues
HERALD REPORTER
PANJIM, DEC 7
After the incessant rains till the last month which kept fishermen away from fishing, now the undersea currents is further killing the fishing business in the state.
Chairman of the Mandovi Fishermen Cooperative Society Menino Afonso told Herald that many trawlers are anchored on the jetty as undersea currents are pretty bad.
The fishermen are already facing tough days due to fall in fish catch, which has cut down their earnings. “There is boom only in mackerels’ catch and it is being priced at Rs 50 per kg,” Afonso said.
The mackerel sell is fetching good price compared to its rate few months ago. While, a month back it was sold off at cheap price at Rs 20 per kilo, its price last year was as high as Rs 70 per kilo. We hardly have any fish to export.
“We are able to catch only Mackerels through purseine nets and Ribbon fish from regular trawling,” Afonso said.
Interestingly, Goa’s favourite – Kingfish has run out of stock as the catch is negligible.
Although mackerel catch might be silver lining in the clouds, it’s not as much as expected during this season.
“Total catch of mackerels in a week is only four-to-five tones and Ribbon fish either one-tone or as low as 800 kilograms,” he calculated.
“Whatever amount we collect from the sale is spent for the diesel of the trawler.  We have incurred tremendous loss,” said the Chairman.
The problem-stricken jetty expected ample ‘Ribon fish’ and ‘squid’ catch via trawling and ‘King fish’, ‘Pamphlets’ and ‘Tuna fish’ catch via perseine nets.
While battling with the nature and fate, the Goan fishermen are also battered with the arrival of fishermen from Karnataka, who invade the sea with high powered trawlers.