Team Herald
MARGAO: The traditional fishing community has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the Fisheries Minister’s responses during the recently-concluded Assembly session.
Olencio Simoes, General Secretary of the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) and Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE), said the community’s demands were not adequately addressed. During the monsoon session, Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar had assured the Assembly that “no bull trawling or LED fishing happens this year” and that “strict enforcement and vigilant patrolling will be undertaken.” The assurance came after Siolim MLA Delilah Lobo raised concerns about these illegal practices harming the marine ecosystem and causing inflated fish prices.
However, Simoes said the traditional fishing community was not satisfied with the replies given by the Minister to their demands. “With respect to the fisheries issue, which has been raised by the opposition MLAs, including the ruling MLA Krishna ‘Daji’ Salkar, who has also voiced about the illegal LED light and bull trawling fishing — what has happened with respect to the reply by the Fisheries Minister in regard to addressing our demands/concerns? We have not got a proper reply, only that the Minister has said that he’s going to use drones,” he said.
Simoes pointed out fundamental limitations with the government’s proposed drone surveillance approach. “Now drones cannot travel outside five nautical miles. So with respect to the High Court order, it is clearly said that the department has to purchase around seven boats for the Fisheries Department. And the Coastal Police has to purchase nine boats. With respect to that, no concrete answers have been given.”
The NFF and GRE leader said there was no concrete solution coming from the Fisheries Minister’s reply to questions raised by concerned MLAs regarding High Court order compliance. “It is also unfortunate that since nine years we have been fighting for the government to implement the same, but it has not happened. So we are hoping that the Fisheries Minister will take keen interest and see that the compliances, especially from the honourable High Court, should be applied.”
Prior to the Assembly, the traditional fishermen had submitted a memorandum to all the coastal MLAs demanding a ban on the use of gensets/diesel generators on mechanised fishing boats and implementation of the High Court of Bombay at Goa order dated May 8, 2025 – ban on LED light fishing, bull trawling, and pair trawling and the seven directions laid down by the High Court. However, Simoes said they received “an unsatisfactory reply from the Minister.”
On the issue of Malpe boats from the neighbouring Karnataka, Simoes said, “If this continues, then, uh, also with respect to the Malpe boats there also, we have not got a concrete proposal from the Fisheries Minister that how he will stop the outside vessels coming into the territorial water of the State. So this will happen only if the enforcement of the law enforcement mechanism, if it is put in place as the honourable High Court has already directed the department. So we are hoping that this will happen.”
The fishing community leader explained why banning generators is crucial. “The other demands which we have been asking from the Fisheries Department are banning of the generator/genset because the genset is clearly the root cause of the use of, ah, exploitation of the lights. And the court has also said that the genset is used for the lights, because, uh, the court has also said that auxiliary power you don't require genset. Auxiliary power can be met by the 12-volt battery. It can be one or four or, if required, it can be solar batteries too.”
Simoes further explained the technical reasoning behind the genset ban demand. “So you don’t require a 150 kV generator or a five kV generator for this auxiliary power. So therefore, it is important that the Fisheries Department ban gensets to have a controlled fishing method. Yes, now this might affect the large-scale trawler owners for a particular time, but obviously in the long run, the entire fishing community, especially the mechanised sector, will benefit from it because you will have more fish in a shorter, ah, place or in a territorial state of Goa.”
GRE, with 18 associations from all over Goa, also criticised the government’s recent action against traditional fishermen. GRE president Agnelo Rodrigues slammed the Fisheries Department for issuing show-cause notices on alleged monsoon ban violations to the traditional fishers of Goa. Rodrigues stated that the second 9.9HP motor was carried as a spare/emergency backup and not for the purpose of increasing power or violating the ban. “During the monsoon season, sea conditions are extremely unpredictable and rough, leading to frequent water ingress into the engine, which can result in sudden failure of the primary motor. As there is no functional rescue or emergency response mechanism available from the Fisheries Department or by the Coastal Police in such situations, carrying a second motor becomes a vital safety measure to prevent accidents or loss of life while navigating or returning to shore,” he stated.
Custodio D’Souza, president of the Old Cross Fishing Canoe Owners’ Cooperative Society, Vasco, also rejected allegations made against them and Simoes by trawler owners. D’Souza also questioned what action the Fisheries Department would take against violations by the trawler owners.
Simoes stated that they also demanded that “it has been 45 years since the Goa, Daman and Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act of 1980, but no amendments have been made; therefore, we want to bring more stringent amendments to the Marine Fishing Regulation Act. Strengthening these regulations would provide the necessary framework to combat illegal fishing activities effectively and increase fines on LED lights from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh and on Malpe boats to Rs 10 lakh.”
GRE has warned that if the demands are not implemented, they will be compelled to initiate a state-wide agitation.