MARGAO
High drama unfolded in the Arabian Sea on Monday morning after the Betul coastal police along with fisheries officials and traditional fishermen went in hot pursuit of dozens of fishing vessels fishing within Goa’s 5-km fishing zone.
In an hour-long operation in the sea, off the Benaulim coast, the coastal police managed to intercept two fishing vessels and impounded the vessels at the Cutbona fishing jetty. Around 11 fishing crew was on board the two vessels.
Superintendent of Fisheries, Chandresh Haldankar pointed out that the fishing vessels not only violated the fishing norms close to the shore, but were involved in trawling activity. Fisheries officials Joel Diniz and Dayanand Loni were part of the team with the coastal police and fishermen that seized the two vessels.
Fish on board the two vessels has been seized and the fisheries officials were on the job to conduct a detailed panchanama at the Cutbona jetty. The fish was later auctioned at the Cutbona jetty.
Dozens of fishing vessels from Malpei, in the neighbouring state of Karnataka, were spotted fishing in the coastal waters of the state early Monday morning by the traditional fishermen from Benaulim. Outnumbered by the sheer presence of the outside vessels, the traditional fishermen tried calling fisheries officials to rein in the fishing vessels, but in vain, leaving the fishermen with no option than to turn to the coastal police for security.
Benaulim-based traditional fishermen Pele Fernandes informed that when he saw fishing vessels from the neighbouring state fishing close to the shore, he tried calling the Panaji-based fishing officials. Since there was no response, Pele called up the Betul coastal police with a plea to draft policemen and the interceptors for the operation. “The Betul coastal police maintained that their interceptor vessel was out of order for want of upkeep and maintenance. They were willing to provide armed policemen if the fishermen could arrange a vessel to go after the Karnataka vessels”, he said.
Pele added: “I volunteered to provide my speed boat and I along with the team comprising of armed policemen and fisheries officials ventured out and managed to intercept two fishing vessels, while the remaining vessels headed back to their state”.
He demanded that the Goa government and the Fisheries department maintain vigil along the coast and save the marine resources from being exploited illegally by outside fishing boats close to the shore. “These boats were involved in the banned fishing activity of trawling close to the shore”, he said, adding that such illegal activity will spell doom for the traditional fishermen and sustainable fishing.
A Fisheries official, who accompanied the police on the speed boat, said around 20 fishing vessels from neighbouring state were fishing in violation of the rules. “We could spot many more in the sea away from the place where we had managed to intercept the two vessels”, he added.
