Team Herald
CANACONA: With doubts of formalin scare still fresh in the minds of residents of Canacona taluka, people made a beeline to Palolem as the news of a huge catch of fresh mackerels by the fishermen from Palolem went viral in the taluka on Wednesday.
With the lifting of fishing ban in Goa since beginning of this month, some of the lucky fibre canoe owners in Canacona have struck gold as till now they have harvested tonnes of prized solar shrimps and mackerels which are high in demand in both household and hotel industry in Goa.
There are at least 300 Fibre Reinforced Plastic (FRP) canoes ranging from 20-36 feet registered with fisheries department in Canacona alone; the government through fisheries department is offering sizeable amount in subsidies for buying a new canoe with an outboard engine. With government even extending subsidised fuel, many of the traditional fishermen in the taluka have purchased this fibre canoes discarding the old wooden boats as they are difficult to maintain they say.
Mackerels which are highly sought after in the fish markets of Goa migrate in large schools along the Goa coast to suitable spawning grounds in shallow waters where they get intercepted by this motor boats, some of the fishermen in the taluka have fixed fish finders which result in 100 percent result as they cast the net only when they track this school of fish on the monitor of the fish finders.
With weather department forecasting a fairly good weather in the Arabian sea along the Goa coast, the fishermen who ventured on Wednesday harvested tonnes of Indian mackerels of medium size which got sold while unloading itself as the news of a huge catch had gone viral in the taluka on Wednesday evening.
In the beginning seven mackerels of medium size were sold for hundred rupees but with more boats arriving with mackerels the rate eventually dropped to 10 pieces for hundred, said an eyewitness at Palolem beach.
