DIANA FERNANDES
PANAJI
According to figures provided by the Department of Fisheries, the marine prawn catch from all the jetties in the State has dropped from 9,012 tonnes in 2015 to 6,295 tonnes last year.
But despite these decreasing numbers, fishermen said that they still send most of their catch to processing units at industrial estates.
Jerry Fernandes, president of the Zuari Marketing Fisheries Co-operative Society Ltd, said the main catch is first sold in the market.
“When fishing is allowed, usually the canoes are allowed to go in first and fish using their gear. The bigger trawlers that also use the same gear go in later and get a bigger catch. Once we secure the catch, what is needed in the market is sold first, while the rest is given to the factories for processing,” informed Fernandes, adding that some of Goa’s prawn catches even finds its way to Kerala.
But prawns from neighbouring states are also sold in Goa, mostly at cheaper prices. “Usually at wholesale markets in the State, prawns from states like Maharashtra and Karnataka are sold at a lower price. Most of the locally caught prawns are sold outside Goa,” said Sitakant Parab, president of the All Goa Fishing Boat Owners Association.
Overall, the catch in Goa may have decreased, Parab adds, but individual catch at specific jetties may differ. “With every passing year, the trend is usually on the decline, but individual jetties may have differing numbers as the department collates all the data as a whole,” he said.
Also making its way into the local market are prawns from large farms in the State. Unfortunately, this number does not figure in the marine or inland fish catch numbers presented by the department.
These cultured prawns are mostly popular among
HERE’S THE CATCH
According to Fisheries Department, marine prawn catch from all jetties declined from 9,012 tonnes in 2015 to 6,295 tonnes in 2016
Main catch is first sold in the local market, while the rest is sent to processing units
Prawns harvested in Goa are even sold in Kerala
Processing units thriving in Goa as companies manage to procure large consignments
