the goan I network
VASCO
Questioning the proposed shipping corridor scheme off the south-west coast of India to prevent collisions between merchant vessels and fishing vessels, the National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) has claimed the government has not conducted feasibility studies so far on the livelihood and environmental impacts of this project.
Raising these issues during its two-day office bearers meeting in Chennai, the NFF maintained that this unilateral move could mean that main fishing grounds would be lost as 86 per cent of fish is available in this area where majority of the fishing activities initiated by mechanised
and non-mechanised boats take place.
NFF demanded a comprehensive Coastal Regulation Zone Act to protect the
livelihood of fisher folk, coastal and marine ecology in consultation with fishing communities.
The NFF also decided to launch a national level campaign in the eastern and western coasts if the Sagarmala programme is not rejected by the central government.
NFF Vice Chairperson Olencio Simoes said the new draft national policy on Maritime 2018 [NPM] initiated by the Centre is of serious consequences to the fishing community and marine ecology.
“This has mooted mariculture zones by demarcating special areas in the sea for activities such as cage farming, bivalve farming, pen culture, seaweed culture, hatcheries and nurseries. The draft mariculture policy aims to lease out special zones in the sea to private entities to cultivate marine organism in an enclosure in the open sea.”
“The NFF strongly condemns this policy as it will lead to the entry of corporates into the sector, leading to the loss of livelihood to the local fishermen. The policy has also suggested farming of genetically modified species in closed mariculture systems, which is dangerous to the fishing environment in the sea,” said Simoes.
