the goan I network
MARGAO
With the Fisheries department’s registered fish agents nowhere at the Cutbona fishing jetty, and the department officials giving their nod to the boat owners to dispose of their catch to agents of their choice, auction of the fish catch finally took place at the jetty on Thursday, capping the row over the auction of fish at the jetty.
The row over the auctioning of the fish at Cutbona was resolved after fisheries officials present at the jetty told members of the Cutbona Boat Owners Union led by President Savio D’Silva and Vinay Tari that the boat owners are free to dispose off their catch to any agent of their choice.
Following this development, the Cutbona Boat Owners Union had an urgent meeting with the 12 fish agents to ascertain their willingness to buy the fish given that the catch brought by the fishing vessels was stranded at the jetty for want of the agents and buyers.
Representatives of the 12 fishing agents, who have been procuring the fish catch at Cutbona over the
last several years, finally participated in the auction, even as boat owners blamed the fisheries department for the losses they suffered after their catch went for a lesser rate.
The auction was finally held at the jetty after member of the Cutbona Boat Owners Union Vinay Tari got confirmation from the fisheries officials that the boat owners are free to dispose of their catch to the agents of their choice.
In fact, a fisheries official told the Union members at the jetty that the fisheries department has not brought any fish agents at Cutbona jetty to purchase the fish, adding that they are only at the jetty to allot the plots for the auctioning of the fish.
A couple of fishing vessels, which had anchored at the River Sal, later handed over their catch to the agents after the auction.
With the Fisheries department taking over the Cutbona jetty, boat owners have questioned whether the department will be able to handle the contentious issue of berthing of vessels at the jetty during the peak season.
Cutbona Boat Owners Union president Savio D’Silva said after the fisheries department threw their hands up on the procurement of the fish catch, the 12 fishing agents came to the rescue of the boat by participating in the auction. “The fisheries department might have taken over the jetty from the Union, but they have no knowledge of the ground reality”, he added.
Meanwhile, South Goa SP, Arvind Gawas, DySP Raju Raut Desai and Cuncolim PI Sudesh Naik visited the Cutbona fishing jetty on Thursday to take stock of the situation. They had meetings with the 12 fish agents as well as with officials of the Fisheries department how to avert a law and order situation. The police has continued to maintain a huge presence at the jetty as a precautionary measure.
