TEAM HERALD
MARGAO: The ghost of bull trawling by outside fishing vessels in the state’s territorial waters came to haunt boat owners on Thursday, even as the Betul coastal police seized six such vessels from Mangalore.
Two coastal police interceptors ventured out in the sea this morning along with fisheries officials and representatives of boat owners as news spread that a fleet of fishing vessels from Malpe and Mangalore resorted to bull trawling close to the Goan shore since Wednesday.
After a four-hour long operation, the coastal police seized six vessels and brought them to shore at the Cutbona fishing jetty. The boats along with the fish catch were later handed over to the fisheries department for further action.
Coastal police PI Gawde said the fishing vessels have violated the Maritime Act when they were supposed to operate within the territorial limits of Mangalore. He said around 40-plus workers were employed on the six fishing vessels. “We are in the process of verifying whether they were in possession of identity cards. The question whether the boats were using engine beyond the approved horse power will be decided by the fisheries department,” PI Gawde said.
The incident triggered outrage amongst Cutbona boat owners. Cutbona Boat Owners Vice-president Roosevelt Alemao said that around 300 fishing boats from Malpe and Mangalore had ventured in the Goan waters on Wednesday. He claimed that the fishing boats had caught bumper fish by resorting to bull trawling and demanded action. “We had alerted the fisheries department on Wednesday itself, but the police boats could not move out because of the hostile navigation problems at the river mouth,” Alemao said, while demanding patrolling in the seas to keep outside fishing trawlers at bay.
President of Cutbona Boat Owners Union Seby Cardozo, who ventured out in the sea in the police interceptor boat, said they saw the fishing vessels resorting to bull trawling. “If this continues, fish resources will deplete. We will ask the government to intensify patrolling in the seas to prevent outside vessels from bull trawling in our waters”, Seby added.
