MAPUSA
The Directorate of Fisheries has invited Expressions of Interest (EOI) from agencies to provide drone-based surveillance and digital data management along Goa’s 193-km coastline, in a bid to crack down on illegal and unregulated fishing activities.
Under the proposed plan, the selected agency will be required to deploy two high-end drones “ one each for North and South Goa “ capable of flying up to 30 nautical miles per trip, with at least three flights per day. The drones are expected to operate round the clock and will be fitted with high-resolution cameras and GPS tracking systems.
The surveillance system will be tasked with monitoring fishing vessels, detecting unauthorised operations, curbing unregulated fishing, studying fishing patterns in restricted or closed zones, and maintaining a digital database with images, videos, and GPS coordinates of vessels. The Fisheries Department had earlier conducted a two-month pilot project using drones, which demonstrated a surveillance range of up to 20 km.
Encouraged by the results, Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar announced during the recently concluded Assembly session that the State would roll out drone-based aerial monitoring extensively to detect unauthorised fishing, particularly by vessels from outside Goa. “Once unauthorised vessels are identified by drones, the coastal police and Coast Guard will be responsible for seizing them and initiating punitive action,” Halarnkar stated.
Illegal fishing practices “ including the use of banned LED fishing lights and encroachment into Goan waters by vessels from neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra “ have long been a source of conflict and economic loss for local fishermen.
Officials believe drone surveillance will provide a technological edge in enforcement, enabling faster response times and better evidence gathering for prosecution.
The EOI process is expected to be followed by technical evaluations and contract finalisation, paving the way for full-scale drone deployment in the coming months.
