Says extension must be enforced all along west coast
Fishing nets unloaded from vessels at the Cutbona jetty.
MARGAO
As the Fisheries Department’s exercise to gauge the opinion of fishing stakeholders on extending the annual fishing ban beyond 61 days remains inconclusive, Cutbona-based boat operator Patrick D’Silva has pitched for a three-month ban to facilitate fish breeding and help replenish marine resources.
D’Silva, however, stressed that any extension of the fishing ban should be implemented uniformly across the west coast of India.
Speaking to the media at the Cutbona fishing jetty, D’Silva said fish catches from the sea have steadily declined over the years. “I am not saying there is depletion of fish in the sea, but there is definitely a reduction in fish catch over the years. This may be due to different reasons,” he observed.
When the Fisheries Department had last year initiated consultations with boat owners on a proposal to extend the fishing ban, most boat operators from Cutbona had reportedly supported the move, provided the ban was enforced uniformly along the country’s west coast, from Gujarat to Kerala.
Boat owners had cited several reasons in favour of extending the ban till August 15. One of the key concerns was the delayed return of migrant labourers employed on fishing vessels. Many workers remain engaged in agricultural activities in their native places during the monsoon season and typically return to the jetties only after mid-August. It is not out of place to mention here that Goa’s mechanised fishing industry is totally dependent on the migrant labour from the states of Odhisha and Jharkand.
Another reason advanced by the boat owners was the rough weather conditions in the Arabian Sea during early August. According to them, the coast is often affected by at least two cyclones — one in the first week of August and another around August 15 — leading to disruptions in fishing operations.
