Amid fish ban, formalin scare, fish trucks line up at wholesale market

MARGAO
Fishing jetties across the State are shut in view of the two-month ban on fishing. The buzz has also stopped along the coast with traditional fishermen staying away from the fishing activity due to bad weather and rough sea.

The hustle and bustle at Goa’s lone wholesale fish market, however, has not stopped or reduced during the fishing ban period, with dozens of fish transporting vehicles making it to the market every day, either from the country’s east coast or bringing frozen fish from the fish processing factories dotting the State countryside and the neighbouring states.

A visit to the wholesale fish market in the wee hours of Sunday revealed that dozens of fish transporting trucks were found lined up along the wholesale fish market road. The situation inside the market was no different. Fish transporting vehicles lined up with boxes of fish brought either from the east coast or from the fish processing units.

With increasing demand for fish, both for domestic consumption and to cater to the requirements of the hospitality and tourism industry, fish trading has only increased over the years to the Tourist State.

A fish trader informed that during the two-month fishing ban period, the demand for fish is met by the fish either imported to the State from across the borders or sale of frozen fish from the fish processing industries. “We should remember that there’s no fishing ban on the country’s east coast at this part of the year. Hence, fish netted along the eastern coast is transported to Goa to meet the demand,” the trader said.