MARGAO, AUG 1
The new fishing season began with a bang on Saturday, with fishing vessels netting a good quantity of the prized solar shrimp.
Day one of the season saw mechanized vessels returning to the jetties with the solar shrimp. Over 80 tons of solar shrimp was off-loaded at the Cutbona fishing jetty itself this evening as the fishing boats returned with tonnes of the shrimp.
A kilogram of the solar shrimp commanded a rate between Rs 72 to Rs 80 at the wholesale market at the fishing jetty. While the boat owners informed that the wholesalers brought down the rate from Rs 95 to Rs 72, a leading fish merchant said a fixed rate of Rs 80 is being fixed which will remain in effect for the next five days.
Sources in the know say most of the vessels netted more than a tonne of the shrimp on an average. It is learnt that one of the fishing boat netted more than five tonnes of shrimp on day one.
The delay in the arrival of migrant labourers hit around 20-30 fishing vessels as they lay anchored for want of manpower.
It is learnt that some of the boats ventured out in the sea with less than the required manpower in view of the delay in the arrivals of the migrant labour from the states of Jharkhand, Chattigarh and Orissa.
