Team Herald
PANJIM: The Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) on Tuesday charged that Director of Fisheries Shamila Monteiro was deliberately favouring trawlers owners by refusing to take necessary action against LED fishing and bull trawling and demanded her resignation.
However, Monteiro strongly refuted the charge claiming that the matter was subjudice and ruled out her resignation.
The GRE members marched to the office of the Department of Fisheries and alleged that the Director of Fisheries had failed to resolve the issue of LED light fishing.
They also charged her with misusing her power as the director for her own benefit and implementing policies detrimental to the interests of the local fishing community of Goa, and demanded her resignation.
The GRE also pointed out that Monteiro had filed an affidavit in the High Court of Bombay at Goa that trawlers require gensets, without them asking her to do so.
GRE General Secretary, Olencio Simoes said, “Director of Fisheries is promoting policies that favour handful of large scale commercial pursuing trawlers’ interests at the expense of traditional fishermen, whose livelihoods depend on sustainable fishing practices.”
Simoes further charged in the affidavit that the director of fisheries was promoting the use of generator/GD sets of 60 to 150kva capacity, which will encourage the use of destructive fishing methods, such as generators and LED lights, bull trawling and high speed engines which will contribute to the depletion of marine resources, threatening the ecological balance and long-term sustainability of our fisheries.
“This clearly shows the nexus of the Director with the violators as she is advocating the use of generator/GD sets of 60 to 150 kva capacity required for fishing trawlers of 15 to 23 metres in length, so much so that the Director had produced fraudulent report from Central Institute of Fisheries Nautical and Engineering Training (CIFNET), Kochi-Kerala, on the pretext to power the auxiliary engine for the purpose of operating safety equipment,” Simoes said.
“It is clear that 60 to 150 kva capacity DG sets were required to power the use of LED lights which was banned by the Goa government in 2016,” he said.
Goa was the first State across the country to ban use of destructive gears like bull or pair trawling and use of LED lights equipped with or with generator in territorial waters.
While hearing two public interest litigation (PIL) writ petitions filed by the Goa Foundation and traditional fishermen last month, the director of fisheries filed an affidavit stating that DG sets of 60 to 150 KvA capacity are required on vessels of 15 metres to 23 metres in length as these vessels venture out into the sea beyond 12 nautical miles, beyond the territorial waters for several days at end.
She further stated that vessels which are less than 15 metres long, the use of DG sets is not required on such vessels.
The Director of Fisheries has also placed on record a report of the CIFNET conveying its opinion on use of DG sets onboard fishing vessels, which states that auxiliary engine/DG sets may be carried out onboard fishing vessels for the purpose of operating safety equipment as specified under Rule 7 and Rule 10 of the Merchant Fishing Rules, 1995.
Strongly refuting the allegations made by GRE, Monteiro said that the matter was before the court, and it’s sub judice. “The court is hearing the matter, and whatever the court decides, we will abide by it. I can’t speak anything on it,” she said.
