Minister says Fisheries dept will float tender to appoint agency
Fisherman Pele Fernandes being recognised on the National Fish Farmers Day at Curtorim village on Thursday.
Photo Credits: Santosh Mirajkar
MARGAO
With the onset of the new fishing season, the Fisheries Department will deploy drones to rein in fishing vessels indulging in illegal practices at sea.
Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar announced on the side lines of the National Fish Farmers Day at Curtorim on Thursday that the Fisheries Department is gearing up to crack down on illegal fishing in the coming season. He said the department will soon float a tender to appoint an agency to operate drones in the sea to detect violations.
That’s not all. The Fisheries Minister further informed that the Coast Guard will also remain on guard as per the High Court’s directions to foil any attempts by unscrupulous vessels to resort to illegal fishing activities. “We have already conducted a survey to explore the possibility of using drones to capture vessels resorting to illegal fishing modes. The drones will track the fishing vessels operating within 12 nautical miles in the sea,” he said, adding that the project will soon be tendered to appoint the agency.
To a question whether the drone system will keep the operators resorting to illegal fishing at bay, the Fisheries Minister said the drone system is the best system available in the modern world. “Drones have the power to bomb Pakistan right from India. Similarly, the drone technology will successfully scuttle any attempts made by unscrupulous fishermen from resorting to illegal fishing activities in the sea,” he said adding ‘the drone surveillance system will be over and above the policing conducted by the coastal police and monitoring by the Coast Guard’.
To another question on violation of the fishing ban reported in the State, Halarnkar said the ban on fishing will officially end on August 1. “If there are any instances of violation of the fishing ban, the department will act,” he said.
As far as overfishing is concerned, the Minister said that the department is closely monitoring any violation of the fishing ban.
Earlier, addressing the National Fish Farmers Day at Curtorim in the presence of Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco, Secretary Fisheries Prasanna Acharya, Fisheries Director Dr Shamila Monteiro, Curtorim Sarpanch Clive Estebeiro and fishermen, the Fisheries Minister said Goa is the only State in the country to have in place a marine culture policy.
Pointing out that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has unveiled a host of schemes for the benefit of fishermen and to boost fish production, the Minister said the Goa government headed by Chief Minister Pramod Sawant is equally working to take the schemes for the benefit of the local fishermen.
Curtorim MLA Reginaldo Lourenco stressed on the need to support farmers to go for pissiculture. Saying that farmers from Curtorim have shown the way in pissiculture in the lakes and water bodies, the Curtorim MLA has called for providing support to the farmers.
