TEAM HERALD
CANACONA: Mystery shrouds the presence of an unidentified capsized fishing trawler, which has endangered fishing activities of local fishermen off the coast between Agonda and Palolem.
According to reports, the capsized trawler was first noticed a few days ago and local fishermen had rushed to the wreckage to check if any life had been lost due to the mishap.
“When we realized there was no human presence near the capsized trawler, we alerted the local officials from the fisheries department and lifeguards in the area,” informed a local fisherman from Palolem.
When contacted, Canacona Fisheries Surveyor Purshottam Velgikar, the field officer of the fisheries department in the taluka, confirmed the incident.
“We informed our Panjim office and also carried out a search for any human presence on board the capsized trawler. Lifeguards were also pressed into service, but all they could find was a floating barrel near the trawler,” informed Velgikar.
“The sunken trawler does not belong to Goa, as our department made inquiries with all fishing jetties, including those at Vasco and Cutbona. There is no missing report of any fishing trawler from Goa either. We suspect that the capsized trawler belongs to Karnataka,” Velgikar added.
Velgikar, however, could not throw any light on whether their counterparts in Karnataka were informed about the capsized trawler in Goan waters. “It is for our department at Panjim to initiate such moves,” he said.
Meanwhile, the presence of the capsized trawler has caused concern to several local fishermen who venture into the sea in the wee hours, amid fears that their trawlers could strike the capsized trawler while navigating in darkness.
“Nearly 3 metres of the capsized trawler is still jutting out of the water and it has been shifting its position between Agonda and Palolem, making it difficult for us to locate the wreckage,” said traditional fisherman and panch from coastal Agonda Tippu Pagi.
