MARGAO: Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott’s (GRE) issued a statement on Monday strongly criticizing the Department of Fisheries for not implementing the 5 km ban from the shore line throughout Goa.
Also, GRE at its meeting decided to demand that the State Government pay compensation to the traditional fishermen as its members have had no fish catch at all due to the destruction of its gills nets and the presence of trawlers and purseiners fishing within 5 km from the coast.
The Joint General Secretary of GRE, Olencio Simoes said, “Now that the monsoon ban period has come to an end, GRE expects the government to stringently enforce the Marine Regulation Act 1981, in order to protect the traditional fishermen, who are in fact the aam admi and practice sustainable fishing, their livelihood and the marine ecology, by implementing the said law, but the government has failed to do so and thereby proving that it is prejudiced towards the trawler owners and has disregarded the law”.
Further, the President of GRE, Agnelo Rodrigues, said that “The Government of Goa has been allowing the trawlers to carry on their fishing activities as close as 50 m from the coast line wherein as per the Marine Regulation Act 1981, they are not permitted to conduct any kind of trawling and purseining activities within 5 km from the coast”,” said Rodrigues.
“The trawlers are anchoring their vessels close to the shore specially at Santrem,Bogmalo and due to this lots of inconvenience is caused and also our gill nets are destroyed so much so that we can’t even fish, anymore,” lamented Rodrigues.
The GRE president further questioned what was the use of the high speed patrol vessel, “Ave Maria-14”, when the state fishermen are not protected.
“Violations continue to take place while till date the “Rs 2.60 crore high speed patrol vessel” has not been seen patrolling the coast. Was this “speed patrol vessel” built to suit the Department of Fisheries’ interest or the common man?” added the veteran GRE president.
