FREDDY FERNANDES
freddy@herald-goa.com
VELSAO: Risking their lives using canoes, Goa’s traditional fishermen put up a brave front as they chased away Malpe trawlers off the Velsao coast, on Friday.
The trawlers were fishing within three to four kilometres off the Velsao coast. They were within Goan territorial waters and the Grand Island and Bat Island can been seen in the background of the chase.
O Heraldo and Herald TV were the first to upload the exclusive video on its website and YouTube channels on Saturday.
The six-minute video shot from another chasing canoe is full of gripping action and a running incisive commentary by a fisherman on the dangers faced by traditional fishermen in chasing the trawlers, the damage the Malpe trawlers do to their nets and the fish famine which is looming over Goa.
Eight Malpem trawlers are seen in the video, fishing close to the Velsao coast. While seven are already anchored toward the north of Velsao coast, one red colour unregistered Malpe trawler is chased by about five traditional canoes.
The commentator says, “This is a trawler from Malpe, which is fishing three to four kilometres from the Goa coast. These trawlers have destroyed our nets. Our traditional fishermen have got together and see how they are fleeing. We appeal to the Goa government to support us. See how they are fleeing and our fishermen give a hot chase. They are harassing us and our Goa government is not helping us.”
“They have finished our livelihoods. They are within the Bat Island and Velsao. If we close in they are ready to pull out knives and kill us. The trawler does not have a registration number. We have to fight our own battle at the risk of our lives,” the commentator says.
Olencio Simoes, general secretary of Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott says Malpe trawlers are finishing the fish all over Goa. “They are not only limited to the South. They even go as far as Candolim, Chapora and Keri in the North,” he said.
“The coastal police does not have powerful boats for the last over five years. They had nine boats, all of which are dilapidated. The Chapora Coastal Police Station has one boat which cannot go beyond two nautical miles if the weather is slightly rough. But it cannot leave Chapora since very often there is a sand bar there. Will the Coastal Police come from Chapora to our traditional fishermen’s assistance in Velsao?” Simoes questioned.
The canoes used by traditional fishermen are of 9.9bhp. When chasing the trawlers they use two motors. The Malpe trawlers have powerful 7HP motors. It is dangerous to chase the trawlers since they carry heavy weapons. There are instances where there have been scuffles, and traditional fishermen, in a bid to protect their livelihoods, have been hurt.
“There was one instance in Talpona when Coastal Police were chasing Malpe trawlers in our canoes. The fishermen from the trawlers even threw stones on Coastal Police. Thee is fear among our local fishermen. But they risk their lives to protect our fish. Anyone can get killed in case of a scuffle,” Simoes said with trepidation in his voice.
Goa has nine coastal police stations spread across Goa’s 120 km coastline from North to South, but none of them has a interceptor boat except the virtually useless one at Chapora. “The Coast Guard and the MPA can easily chase the Malpe trawlers with the vessels which they have,” said Simoes.
“It is learnt that even the High Court of Bombay at Goa has pulled up the Coast Guard and asked if they don’t have mechanism to guard the coast,” Simoes told O Heraldo. They were directed to put mechanisms in place within six months and upgrade the enforcement and vigilance.
The traditional fishermen claimed that the Fisheries Department has money for Norway jaunts, but no money to purchase interceptor boats. They have a helpline where they contact the Coastal Police, who in turn have no boats, so ethnic Goan fishermen have no help at all from the Goa government.
In coastal Karnataka, trawlers are not allowed to fish within 12 nautical miles. They have strict vigilance and punishments. Their Fisheries Department does strict enforcement. So the Goan fishermen become sitting ducks as the Malpe trawlers just crossover to Goa and plunder the fish due to lack of enforcement, they said.
“Now the Goan fishermen all along the coast are getting desperate. They have become completely aggressive, since the season was bad for everyone. Malpe fishermen are looting our fish and killing our fishermen. This will have a severe effect on the fish-loving Goans, and prices are likely to shoot up so much that fish itself will become unaffordable,” Simoes said.
Unless the Goa Chief Minister, the Fisheries Minister who also went on the Norway jaunt, the Coastal Police, the Coast Guard and the Mormugao Port Authority gear themselves up in a coordinate effort to keep away not only Malpem trawlers, but guard Goa’s coastline from attacks, no Goan is safe in this tiny peaceful State, the fishermen added.