MARGAO
Traditional fishermen along the Benaulim-Colva coast have every reason to smile. It’s almost three days now and kingfish has turned out to be the prized catch for the fishermen that have earned them a few extra bucks for their toil and hard work.
Attribute this good fortune to the weather conditions, dark nights or otherwise, the traditional fishermen have netted tonnes of big-size kingfish in the last three days.
Fresh king-sized kingfish, each weighing around 4 kgs to 8 kgs, have been spotted very close to the shore during the nights. And, the traditional fishermen have attributed the phenomenon to the these dark nights coupled with the fact there’s a huge presence of small fish close to the shore.
Says traditional fisherman Pele Fernandes: “We cannot exactly explain the presence of the kingfish close to the shore. But apart from the usual fish comprising mackerels and other varieties, we have returned with tonnes of the prized kingfish.”
He added: “Maybe, kingfish have come close to the shore in search of the small fish during the dark nights. Whatever the reason, the phenomenon has helped the traditional fishermen net a sizeable catch of the kingfish this season.”
Colva-based fishermen Domingo Rodrigues echoed similar sentiments. “The kingfish came close to the shore during the dark nights. The traditional fishermen, including those fishing with the motorized canoes, have netted the prized fish in the last three days,” he said.
Pele, however, is sore over the fact that a couple of mechanized fishing vessels have started fishing close to the shore in search of the prized kingfish.
“Rules mandate that mechanized vessels fish beyond five nautical miles from the shore. The presence of the kingfish has brought many mechanized fishing boats close to the shore in the last three days,” he said.
The fishermen have questioned the absence of any mechanism by the Fisheries Department to keep in check the mechanized fishing vessels fishing close to the shore.
“There’s a ban on fishing close to the shore on two counts, one to facilitate the fish to spawn and to help the traditional fishermen net the fish with traditional fishing gear and earn a livelihood,” he said, demanding that the Fisheries Department crack a whip against the illegal fishing by the mechanized vessels close to the shore.
