Fisheries coop society says govt ignoring their pleas
TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Fish catch has dropped considerably over the last few days in particular and the last few years in general, while the government is slow to act against trawlers from neighbouring states that use banned trawling techniques as well as motors above the permissible power limit.
Speaking to Herald, Menino Afonso of Mandovi Fisheries Cooperative Society, said that their pleas have fallen on deaf ears.
“Today the only catch we get is that of sardines and a few mackerels. We do not get other fish. Earlier, species such as kingfish were netted by the ton, but today they are just not available,” Afonso said.
The price of kingfish in the market is as high as Rs 600 per kilo, up from Rs 200, a couple of years ago.
The reason, Afonso said, is because the government is not acting against trawlers from outside the state.
“These trawlers use 450 hp motors and they use two trawlers to pull either end of the net. This method also disturbs the fish production cycle as the nets destroy new eggs,” Afonso said. “It is 900 hp versus the fish,” he added.
“We have boats that are only 120 hp and what’s worse is that they declare that their boats are only 200hp which in reality they are not,” he said adding that they witnessed this for themselves last year when they had detained two trawlers from the neighbouring states and asked the government to take action against them.
“Instead they (government) say that we wronged by detaining them. They do not want to act against them,” he rued.
Fish scientists or ichthyologists have for long been warning of a fish famine that would arise if the current spree of reckless trawling is not stopped.
Fish scientists or ichthyologists have for long been warning of a fish famine that would arise if the current spree of reckless trawling is not stopped
