MONSOON BREAK: Trawlers remain anchored at Malim Jetty as the 61-day monsoon fishing ban, in force from June 1 to July 31, keeps vessels off the seas.
PORVORIM
Disappointed by the poorer catch in the second half of the fishing season, the Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Society has stated that trawler owners continue to confront many problems at Malim Jetty.
With the 61-day monsoon fishing ban now in effect from June 1 to July 31, all trawlers have returned to Malim Jetty, and migrant workers have started returning to their home states such as Karnataka, Odisha, Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh by train and bus.
Local boat owners are utilising the downtime to haul, repair and maintain vessels and nets.
When contacted, Vice-Chairman of Mandovi Fishermen Marketing Society Ltd, Harshad M. Dhond, mentioned that trawler owners received a decent fish catch till January.
“Thereafter, there was a decline in the availability of premium-quality fish such as seer fish and pomfret,” said Dhond.
Highlighting the difficulties faced by trawler owners, Dhond said small trawler owners are presently reeling under tremendous financial problems.
“The rates of diesel are increasing at regular intervals, which makes the fishing business uneconomical,” he said.
“Furthermore, the State government has not reimbursed the VAT to trawler owners for the last several years despite assurances by the government. The State government had withdrawn the Goa Value Added Tax-based subsidy on H.S.D. oil consumed by fishing vessels vide a notification dated May 23, 2023, with retrospective effect from November 30, 2022.”
“This subsidy had been offered when late Manohar Parrikar was Chief Minister. The industry is fighting for basic survival on all fronts and hence, the government should reimburse this subsidy at the earliest,” said Dhond.
Dhond also mentioned that infrastructure at Malim Jetty has not improved so far.
“The renovation of the existing jetty at Malim has been going on for the last several years. Due to poor infrastructure, trawler owners find it difficult to anchor trawlers at the jetty. There are around 125 big trawlers operating from Malim. These trawlers face anchoring problems,” said Dhond.
Dhond claimed that Malim Jetty is not getting a sufficient water supply from the PWD.
“We have requested the PWD several times to release water, but in vain. We require 40-50 tankers of water every day, which we buy from private water suppliers. The State government should look into the problems of the trawler community seriously and solve them without further delay in order to make the fishing business viable,” Dhond added.
