PANAJI
In what could be serious regulatory lapses by the Department of Fisheries, around 600 fishing vessels are allegedly operating without licences.
The revelation that came to the fore through an internal government order has once again raised questions on the longstanding concerns about the effective functioning of the Department.
The development also comes in the backdrop of Shamila Monteiro’s return as Director of Fisheries -- a move that has reignited several unresolved controversies such as illegal LED fishing, poor hygiene standards at jetties and trawlers, and a reportedly lax approach towards vessel registration during her earlier tenure.
An internal directive issued on April 30, 2025, by Monteiro’s predecessor Yashaswini B (IAS) and marked ‘Most Urgent’ stated that only 292 vessel licences had been issued for 2025 -- the current fishing season.
As per the compiled data, a total of 292 licenses had been issued across the four major jetties in the State while 658 transponders -- used for vessel tracking -- had been installed, indicating a large number of boats operating without valid documentation.
Official sources confirmed to The Goan that about 600 fishing vessels are allegedly illegally operating without mandatory licenses.
Following directions from the Secretary (Fisheries), the zonal Superintendents were tasked with issuing show-cause notices to all boat owners who failed to renew their licenses. The order instructed them to treat the matter as a top priority.
“All Superintendents of Fisheries are instructed to initiate the process of issuing show-cause notices to the respective boat owners seeking an explanation for non-renewal of their fishing vessel licenses,” the order stated. It further directed the zonal heads to treat the issue as a top priority and submit a consolidated report by May 5.
Despite this, Department sources revealed that several boat owners are yet to submit their replies and hence, the consolidated status reports from fisheries officers are still awaited.
Besides the alleged failure to ensure trawlers operate only after obtaining licenses, official sources further confirmed that many vessels are operating without maintaining crew records and no penalties imposed on violators since 2014. “There is no law to penalize them,” the source disclosed.
This development also points to Monteiro's affidavit in the High Court of Bombay at Goa claiming that each vessel must have a valid fishing pass before leaving the jetty. Her affidavit, submitted over three years ago, also stated that departmental officers were instructed to inspect boats to prevent illegal fishing methods such as the use of LED lights or fish attractors.
“Officers are instructed to conduct an inspection of the fishing vessels to check the use or installation of illegal fishing gear such as LED lights, fish light attractors, or any other such equipment,” reads an extract of the affidavit.
Attempts by The Goan to contact officials of the Fisheries Department for comments went unanswered.
