MARGAO: Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE) President Agnelo Rodrigues slammed Fisheries Director Dr Sharmila Monterio for failure to implement the monsoon fishing ban order, which commenced on June 1 and will run till July 31.
He stated, “The GRE since inception i.e since 1978, has been demanding for a monsoon ban for proper spawning of marine species due to the decline of fishing resources. But the Fisheries Department today has completely failed us, as it has repeatedly failed to implement and act on its own order be it LED light fishing, Malpe bull trawling and now even the monsoon ban.”
Rodrigues also demanded that Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar appoints a full-time Fisheries Director and warned that a day will come when the fishermen will be displaced and The Fisheries department will become a ghost department.
“The GRE demands that the Fisheries Minister immediately intervene and suspend all the licenses of those who have violated the fishing ban, failing which the GRE members across Goa will be forced to take law in hand,” Rodrigues said.
Meanwhile, in a joint raid conducted by the Coastal Police and Fisheries Department, three trawlers were seized, which were found in the sea with fish. The trawlers were seized along with the fish catch. The trawler owners claimed that their vessels were stranded in the sea due to breakdown.
Savio Fernandes, resident of Comba, Margao had filed a complaint in this regard before the Directorate of Fisheries and had urged immediate action against the law violators.
“The boat entered Cutbona jetty on May 31 after fishing at high sea and had unloaded his fish catch at the jetty allotted to South Goa Mechanised Boat Owners Co-op society on the same day. Thereafter on June 1, the same boat once again ventured out at sea,” Fernandes informed the authorities.
Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar said that coastal police will work along with the Fisheries department to keep a check on violations of the fishing ban, use of LED lights, etc.
Major jetties will be under CCTV surveillance, he added.
