the goan I network
PANAJI
The back to back warnings to fishermen against venturing into the sea owing to rough sea conditions on account of cyclones Sagar and Mekunu have brought an early end to the fishing season in the State.
Fishermen, who anchored their trawlers for the season, have however said that “even though the fishing ban in the state usually comes into effect from June 1 every year, they were mentally prepared not to venture out to sea from
May 20.”
Savio Fernandes, a trawler owner said, “Even though the fishing ban officially comes into effect on June 1, we were already prepared for bad weather in May. Over the last five years, it has been difficult to venture out into the sea right from May 20, so this has not come as a surprise to us.”
He also added that bad weather conditions are a part and parcel of the profession and that some trawler owners were willing to rough it out.
Despite the warning issued by the Met Department, some fishermen still venture out into the rough seas, which Fernandes says is putting greed before personal safety.
The two-month long fishing ban comes into force from June 1 and extends till July 31. The fishing season picks up only after that as the workforce slowly returns to their duties in August.
Goa boasts a fleet of nearly a thousand registered trawlers and nearly a thousand non-motorized crafts and has a fish catch of more than one lakh tons per year.
