Team Herald
MARGAO: The boat owners at the Cubtona fishing jetty are disappointed with the Fisheries Department and government for not addressing their grievances before the lifting of the fishing ban on Monday, August 1.
Against that backdrop, only a small number of boats are expected to venture out on day one of the fishing season that starts on Monday.
“Only 10 percent of the boats are ready and will head out into the sea. There is shortage of labour and we are waiting for the rest of the labour to return,” said Savio Silva, former President of the Cutbona Boat Owners Union.
While the boat owners have been gearing up for the season at the jetty which has seen hectic activity in the last few days such as the unloading of nets, maintenance work of boats etc, they are still waiting for the required strength of labourers to arrive in the next couple of days.
However, the boat owners have questioned why the Fisheries Department did not do more during the 61-day fishing ban period.
“There are so many pending issues. First and foremost is the sand bar at the mouth of the River Sal that creates navigational problems for us and is also a safety risk. Then you have the problems at the jetty, where there is no proper illumination, the roads here are in a bad condition and the cleanliness aspect should have been taken care of too,” added Savio.
Other boat owners concurred with the issue regarding the mouth of the River Sal that is their entry and exit point into the Arabian Sea.
“That retaining wall that was coming up there to solve this issue was held up in court. This issue is serious as it is literally a matter of life and death. Last season and earlier too, boats have capsized here. We are dependent on the high tide as during low tide, boats laden with fish can’t come in and neither can our trawlers go out,” added another boat owner.
