PANAJI
Compared to the previous year fish production rose marginally, by a little under two per cent, in Goa during the 2024-25 financial year as per official estimates.
In 2023-24, Goa's total fish production stood at nearly 1.27 lakh tonnes. A year later in 2024-25, there was a slight increase in the production with the Fisheries Department logging over 1.28 lakh tonnes, approximately 1,300 tonnes more.
Production of some varieties of fish commonly consumed by Goans in their daily diets such as mackerel (bangda), sardines (tarle), shark (mori), tuna (bokdo), crabs and silver fish (balle), however, showed a decline during 2024-25.
The net production of other varieties like the prized shrimps, kingfish (visvon), milk fish (vellio), sole fish (lepo) and squid (manki) increased sharply.
In 2023-24, 1384 tonnes of sole fish (lepo) was netted which jumped by 533 tonnes in 2024-25. Similarly, kingfish production increased by 1,203 tonnes over the 1594 tonnes of this premium variety netted in 2023-24.
While 149 tonnes of milk fish (vellio) were netted in 2023-24, an additional 66 tonnes of this small fish usually consumed either in coconut curries or crisply fried, was netted this year.
Squids too saw a spurt in production in 2024-25 by nearly 2,000 tonnes. In 2023-24, 4013 tonnes of squid was produced which rose to 6,401 tonnes in 2024-25.
Meanwhile, among the fish varieties which saw production fall this year, mackeral (bangda) recorded the sharpest dip. In 2023-24, the production of mackerals was 50,213 tonnes and it dropped by 7,485 tonnes to 43,728 tonnes this year.
Similarly, sardines (tarle) also recorded a sharp decline of over 4,000 tonnes. While 18,022 tonnes of sardines were netted in 2023-24, the production fell to 13,907 tonnes in 2024-25.
