the goan I network
VASCO
Goa Fishing Boat Owers Association President Jose Philip D’Souza said the fisheries department must use revenue from central government schemes and help the fishermen in the State.
Appealing to the State government to reach out to the fishing community especially in times of the bad fishing season, D’Souza also requested Fisheries Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues to expedite works on a modern fishing jetty at Kharewaddo.
D’Souza was speaking to reporters alongside an awareness programme and “Marine Fisheries Improvement Project” (MFIB) organised by Asian Fisheries Society Indian Branch (AFSIB) in association with the fisheries department.
Fisheries Survey of India Scientist Dr Pradeep H D was the chief guest at the function, while Dr P Keshavnath, principal investigator and secretary AFSIB and Deputy Director of fisheries Chandrakant Velip were also present on the occasion.
Addressing a large gathering of fishermen who seemed unhappy with the fisheries department, D’Souza said fishermen and launch owners did not get much benefit and subsidies as claimed.
“I appeal to the government and Mormugao Port Trust (MPT) to expedite works on the modern fishing jetty. The present jetty is dilapidated and very small, making it difficult to accommodate around 170 trawlers operating in the area. We can only get 5-6 loaded trawlers at a time on the jetty while the other trawlers have to wait in the sea for their turn to offload the fresh catch of fish.” “Fish on the trawlers could go stale by the time the trawlers offload fish at the jetty. The fisheries department has not spent even a rupee on the development of this fishing jetty,” D’Souza said.
D’Souza said the government should provide a 100-metre extension to this present jetty so that more trawlers could reach the jetty to unload their fresh catch of fish.
“This is a long-pending demand for the last 50 years. I will personally take up the matter with Chief Minister Pramod Sawant and Fisheries Minister Filipe Neri Rodrigues to coordinate with MPT to extend the present jetty and provide us with good facilities,” D’Souza added. D’Souza said he would request the govt to help the community at a time when the season was bad due to adverse sea conditions and cyclones.
