Cutbona jetty comes abuzz

Cutbona jetty comes abuzz
Fishing season begins today
HERALD REPORTER
MARGAO, JULY 31
The hustle and bustle finally returned at the Cutbona fishing jetty as mechanized boat owners geared up for the new fishing season beginning from August 1.
Though the rough sea and delay in the arrival of workers from Jharkhand and Orissa has made boat owners  keep their fingers crossed whether they would be able to venture out in the sea on Sunday, hectic activity has returned back to the fishing jetties in preparation for the new season.
The boat owner invoked God’s blessing for the new season as a local village priest blessed the vessels and sought divine help to protect the workers in the new season.
A visit to the fishing jetty revealed that workers were seen engaged in loading fishing nets and other items in the fishing vessels. Trawlers and purse seine vessels were seen taking trial rounds in River Sal today to ensure that the vessels are fit to venture out in the sea on Sunday.
But, the biggest worry facing the boat owners is the rough sea and the non-availability of the work force. Vice-president of the Cutbona Boat Owners Union Roosevelt Alemao said the sea was indeed rough and many workers have not yet turned up at the jetty till date. “The boat owners are keeping their fingers crossed on the arrival of the workers from  Jharkhand, Orissa and Karnataka”, he said.
Alemao said the rough weather conditions would certainly come in the way of small boats venturing out in the sea. ‘The rough sea may not be a major problem for boat owners at Vasco and Panjim. But, the situation is different at Betul, at the mouth of River Sal”, he added.
Meanwhile, even as mechanized boat owners are bracing up to venture out in the sea on Sunday, small boat owners operating in the Betul area have nothing to cheer about.
Canoe owners said the rough conditions at the mouth of the River Sal at Betul will prevent small vessels to venture in the sea on Sunday.
A local fishermen Sudhakar Joshi said the government should pay attention to the problems small boat owners face at the Betul mouth. He said it would be impossible for small canoes to venture out in the sea for the next one week because of rough conditions.