MARGAO
Sernabatim-Colva resident Calvert Gonsalves has knocked on the doors of Fisheries Secretary Vallavan E and Fisheries Director Yashaswini B with the plea to stop large-scale bull trawling and LED fishing along the Goa coast.
Calvert has warned that he will be forced to approach the High Court with a Public Interest Litigation if the Fisheries department fails to crack a whip against bull trawling and fishing with LED lights.
Asserting that large-scale bull trawling is happening at least three times a week and LED light fishing takes place every second day with the exception of moonlit nights, he has suggested that the fisheries department hire speedboats (of water sports operators) with enough capacity to accommodate the raiding staff. He said a distress number on the lines of the 'Flying squad' be made public 24x7 and that a dedicated police team be made available a la traffic police 24x7 and this police be made readily available.
Calvert demanded that the government order a CBI inquiry to find out the number of fishing vessels owned by a senior government official. A similar demand was raised by South Goa MP Viriato Fernandes last week.
On LED fishing on the coast, Calvert maintained that fish are attracted to these lights in a radius of 200 metres. Bigger fish come to eat smaller fish and all fish present in the area is caught upon casting of nets in a Purse-seine style of fishing,” he said.
He pointed out that LED light fishing is done regularly in shallow waters as close as 4-6 kms from the coast stretching from Canacona-Cavelossim-Velsao. “One will see large balls of fire on the horizon. These are indeed the sites of LED light fishing and not football matches at Fatorda Stadium. Upon going by boat, I have witnessed the use of LED lights fishing off the coast of Colva Beach. It took me 24 odd minutes to reach the site at 8 knots speed,” he said.
To stop LED fishing and bull trawling, Calvert has suggested a ban on the operation of the fish meal plants in Goa from August 1 to October 30. “Tonnes of infant/juvenile fish are sold to 'fish meal plants' which process them into chicken and fish meals. Draining out the juvenile marine life from the sea which is uneatable by humans and processing it into chicken and fish feed when humans are struggling to eat fish. This is barbarism. The solution is that fish meal plants in Goa have to be banned from operating from August 1 to October 30. If there is no demand for the juvenile/infant fish, there will be no supply. Hence, the catching/netting of juvenile fish will be stopped,” he added.
