the goan I network
MARGAO
A day after fisheries officials made their presence felt at the Cutbona jetty to check vessels fitted with LED lights, Friday saw the Fisheries department knocking the doors of the Indian Coast Guard to take necessary steps to prevent the use of LED fishing in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) beyond the territorial waters.
The letter written to the Coast Guard on Friday by Deputy Director of Fisheries Dr Smita Mazumdar assumes significance and comes against the backdrop of reports that around 20-30 big fishing vessels, all fitted with LED lights, have ventured out in the sea. It's still unclear whether the latest move of the Fisheries department to again seek the assistance of the Coast Guard comes following complaints from small boat owners that they have been unnecessarily targeted, while leaving the big boats scot-free.
Questions also did the rounds at the jetty whether the government can effectively enforce the ban on fishing with LED lights in both letter and spirit without checking each and every boat leaving the jetty and vessels anchoring at the jetty with the fish catch. "The Fisheries department has its own staff and employees manning the jetties. Their services should be used to check the fishing vessels on a routine basis instead of depending on Panaji-based officials to implement the ban," a small boat owner told The Goan, while saying that removal of the gensets from the vessels would solve the issue once and for all.
Though the government had come out with the circular over a month ago,
banning fishing with LED lights, besides bull trawling, sources in the know said the implementation of the Central government's circular is left much to be desired
till date.
The Centre had on November 11 prohibited fishing in the Exclusive Economic Zone beyond territorial waters by bull or pair trawling. The order had further prohibited the use or installation or operation of surface or submerged artificial lights/LED lights, fish light attractors or any other light equipment with or without generator on mechanised fishing vessel or motorised fishing craft for trawling, purse-seining and gill netting operations in the Indian EEZ beyond territorial waters.
The order will be binding on all fishing vessels and their supporting, supply and auxillary vessels operating in the Indian EEZ from the day of issue of this order.
Local boat owners bear the brunt as fate of costly LED lights hangs in balance
MARGAO: The fate of the costly LED lights, with many being imported from Thailand and China, by local boat owners, hangs in balance as the Fisheries department appears finally zeroing in on the erring vessels still fishing with LED lights.
While the big time players had reportedly imported the latest LED lights from China and Thailand, others had procured the lights from the local market, but at a huge cost.
A small-time boat owner informed that he had installed the LED lights more than a year after some of the vessels started fishing with LED lights. "I had invested around Rs 4 lakh on the lights, but with the government moving towards the direction of initiating action against LED lights, the fate of the lights remains uncertain," he said.
Sources in the know informed that it has cost around Rs 4-5 lakh to install the LED lights on the fishing boats, with the cost depending on the nature of the lights, whether imported or procured from the local market.
