The National Fishworkers’ Forum (NFF) has reached out to India’s Union Fisheries Minister Parshottam Rupala and State Fisheries Minister Nilkant Halarnkar, outlining a list of 16 demands aimed at safeguarding and supporting Goa’s traditional fishing community.
The first demand is a complete ban on all destructive fishing methods and gear. Despite a ban on bull trawling or pair trawling equipped with generators and the use of LED lights in territorial waters and the Indian Exclusive Zone (EEZ) for the past seven years, these violations persist. The negligent use of such destructive gears has wreaked havoc on the nursing grounds of several fish species and marine ecology, leading to the community’s outcry.
One of the Central demands is the enactment of a Fishers Rights Act to provide protection equivalent to that granted to Adivasis. Additionally, the NFF calls for the formulation of national and State-level policies, like those in agriculture and textiles, to safeguard the interests of traditional fishermen.
The NFF also urges the regularization of all fishermen’s houses in accordance with Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notifications. Despite the existence of the notification for 32 years, not a single fishermen’s house has been regularized.
Recognizing the heavy losses suffered by fishermen due to cyclones and rough weather conditions, the NFF demands an insurance policy to compensate for the destruction or loss of boats and gear.
The NFF also highlights the need to prevent boats from outside the State from entering Goa’s territorial waters.
The NFF emphasizes the devastating impact of oil spillage on the marine environment and calls for robust legislation to hold those responsible accountable.
Another demand is to extend the fishing ban during the monsoon season to 90 days. This measure aims to protect marine resources and ensure sustainable fishing practices.
The NFF urges the Central and State governments to address erosion issues in Goa, particularly affecting beaches like Mobor, Sernabatim, and Velsao. The NFF proposes implementing measures similar to those adopted by Puducherry to restore eroded beaches.
The NFF proposes the establishment of an exclusive bank named the National Bank for Fisheries and Fisher Development, similar to NABARD for agricultural development.
Other demands include providing a livelihood compensatory sum of Rs 20,000 to fishermen during periods when they are banned from venturing into the sea, increasing the petrol subsidy for traditional fishermen to 4,500 litres per year, registering canoes and nets under subsidy programs, and offering interest-free loans up to Rs 4 lakh to all fishermen. The NFF also calls for the SGPDA wholesale fish market in South Goa to be handed over to traditional fishermen, ensuring their involvement in the market’s management and operation.