Cutbona Boat owners are not satisfied or happy with the way the fishing season has progressed since the ban was lifted on August 1. Conversing with any of the 500 odd boat owners, they will lament about the poor catch this year and the want of better infrastructure at the jetty. They raised concerns over a decline in the catch and added that they aren’t getting the kind of catch they envisaged.
The reason behind this is that the breeding period for fish varies with type. A section of the fishermen felt that August 1 is not the ideal time to lift the ban and that ideally it should be extended till at least August 20. “The government must extend the fishing ban from the Gujarat coast to the Kerala coast and all mechanized boats must be stopped from entering the seas till the breeding season is over. In order to get a good catch for the state, this must be done,” said Patrick D’Silva, former president of the Cutbona Boat Owners Development Union. He went on to add that the 61 day ban was not enough for breeding and hence it affects the catch.
“Additionally, during the ban period, small nine horse powered boats are allowed to venture into the seas which also affect fish production,” he added.
Other boat owners present at the jetty echoed his D’Silva’s thoughts. “Since there is no universal ban on fishing during the season, boats from neighbouring states enter Goan waters and proceed to catch fish and this affects us,” said Roosevelt Alemao, a boat owner.
Apart from just the catch, there are other issues which plague them as well. The lethargic attitude of the fisheries department is one such issue. The department had promised boat owners that a tracking system would be put in place last year but so far, nothing has been done.
In addition, the government also planned to develop and extend the present jetty but is facing opposition from locals and due to this, the project has been kept on hold. However, recently Fisheries Minister, Avertano Furtado, along with Velim MLA Benjamin Silva assured that the harbour project would be taken forward. Furtado assured this in the recently concluded Monsoon Assembly Session as well.
“The harbour will not only help fishermen but also locals. If there is a boundary wall on the jetty, unwanted occurrences and crime can be controlled as well. Health and hygiene will also improve. Everyone stands to benefit with this project,” asserted the MLA.
Boat owners have demanded that the government sits down with the locals and themselves in order to sort out differences. They added that the concerns of the locals can be addressed but it is paramount that the government resolves any such issues because the harbour is the need of the hour and for the future as well.
The government has provided the boat owners with a cooling system for storage of produce but they lament that there is no fish to sell or store. The production of fish is declining day by day and they say that if the government doesn’t intervene, they and the fishing industry will face a hard time.
