PANAJI
The shoe is now on the other foot and it hurts. In a reversal of roles, mechanised fishing boat owners are now accusing traditional fishermen who use canoes with outboard motors of violating rules.
Currently, fishing using mechanised boats (purseiners and trawlers) is banned but traditional fishermen are permitted to fish using canoes fitted with outboard motors of under 10 HP. “But some traditional fishermen are violating the rules,” said Harshad Dhond, president of the All Goa Boat Owners Association.
Dhond, who addressed a press conference on Tuesday along with office-bearers of other associations, demanded that strict action be taken by the Fisheries Department against these fishermen violating the rules.
Seby Cardozo, Jerry Fernandes and others were present at the press conference held after the issue was discussed at a meeting of various boat owners’ associations.
Dhond said the ban on fishing in June and July is imposed because it is the fish-breeding season but traditional fishing is allowed during this period and there are some rules which some fishermen are not following. “As per the rules, they can use only one 9.9 HP motor. However, some have been found using more than two motors. We have videos of them,” Dhond said, adding that it is happening along the entire coast of Goa.
Dhond also accused the traditional fishermen of using monofilament nets, which are banned as they take centuries to decompose.
Dhond said they have officially written to the Fisheries Department demanding that such incidents be stopped and inspectors be appointed to check the violations.
He also demanded that rules related to registration of workers on boats be made applicable to the traditional fishermen using canoes.
The allegations from the associations of boat owners against traditional fishermen, also known as ‘ramponkars’, is a comic reversal of roles, when usually it is the latter who accuse the department of turning a blind eye to trawlers violating the rules like fishing within five nautical miles off the coast, using LED lights and bull-trawling.
Also, traditional fishermen make the most of the ban period, which is bonanza time in their little fishing hamlets across Goa’s 105-kilometre coastline. The ban affects supplies to local fish markets and the catch of these traditional ramponkars fetches better prices while also resulting in a better catch during this period.
Several fish-loving Goans also make a beeline to these fishing hamlets, either on beaches or river banks, for a bargain directly from the ramponkars and for fresh fare.
