After the recently concluded AGM of the Cutbona Boat Owners Association, it seems as though the fishermen who operate from Cutbona jetty are in for some stormy weather, off shore. In a unique twist, the Cutbona Boat Owners Association will have two presidents and two committees each from the small vessel owners and the purseine boat owners will have a separate committee. However, everyone will work under the same banner of Cutbona Boat Owners Association and will function from the same place.
The small boat owners’ newly elected president denied a split in the association, saying that the Boat Owners Association is still intact. On the day of the AGM, some angry and agitated members disrupted the meeting which resulted in electing two presidents and two committees for the same group. “Some people think it is a split. However, it is not a split or a rift. Both the groups have different problems. This arrangement has been made to help both groups,” said president Savio D’Silva, while adding that the groups will be sitting together to discuss various issues pertaining to the fishermen and will then take a call.
“The small boat owners are facing a number of problems. The fisheries department hasn’t paid a diesel subsidy for the past one year. The small boat owners are facing problems while they wait for the subsidy,” D’Silva mentioned, urging the government and fisheries department to distribute the subsidy to fishermen as early as possible. The president and the other fishermen are looking forward to a good fishing season in the forthcoming one after a poor last season.
Coming to the main, divisive issue of the usage of LED lights, Savio said that the government has put a ban on the usage of the lights, but some boat owners have not removed their generator sets from their fishing boats. He explained that there is no need for a generator if they aren’t using the lights on the boats.
He also appreciated the government’s decision to ban the use of LED light for fishing. The big boat owners and the smaller vessel owners have locked horns in the past over the issue, but there still is a ray of hope because both presidents have assured that they will work together and will settle pending issues. They acknowledged that there won’t be any new association registered from Cutbona.
Some purseine boat owners are of the opinion that the main cause for forming two committees is because of the LED lights. The big boat owners’ problems are different and that’s why they felt there is a need for one of their representatives to be present in the committee. Only time will tell if this arrangement will work. At present, Cutbona is under threat of a rough and stormy environment. The hope is that by the next season, all problems will be addressed.
