There was delay in the monsoon this year and due to this inland water fish which are abundantly found during this period were less initially, however as the rains have increased the inland water fish have also increased.
Normally with the beginning of monsoon the marine variety of fish available in the markets are less and also the prices of the fish available are high. Several Goans prefer inland water fresh fish during the monsoon.
The marine fish is in scarcity in the markets of the state with fishing ban coming into force and also due to the rough sea waters during the monsoon and so the inland water fish have come into demand and several people consume the inland water fish during the rainy season.
According to the information available from the sources, various types of traditional nets are used according to the need for catching the fresh water fish and for catching the fish during the nighttime people mostly go in groups and there are several varieties of inland water fishes which are caught during the rains like Khaval, Thigur, Dhemake, Maral, Kharchaney, Kalunar, Kuddo and Shivad and some local people go for fishing in the fresh water in the various water bodies and some even do fishing in the fields when there is fish available if they are filled with water.
Fish are loved by Goans and the demand for fresh fish is high in both urban and the village markets during the monsoon season as there is less availability of fish during the rains and mostly fresh water fish are available during this time of the year, according to the information available from the sources.
It may be noted that the inland water fishing offers a good opportunity for youth as it generates self-employment for the hinterland rural youth especially during the monsoon season and when people go for fishing in the dark of the night they generally go in groups and minimum three persons are required in a group, one to catch fish, other to hold lamp and third one to catch the bag containing fish and they spend two to three hours for catching fish and once the fish are caught they distribute among themselves and sometimes if the catch is big they give to friends or relatives.
“Some people go in group to catch fish so that they can sell the fish, however the fish are sold at various prices and the price of the fish depends on the quantity available and the demand of the fish in the market and in state of Goa there is demand for the fresh water fish during the monsoon season and there is good rate in local markets if someone goes to sell the fish and people take these fish for preparing curry and also some people fry them,” said a local.
The state of Goa has around several hectares of water spread area of inland water bodies covering Salaulim reservoir in the South Goa and Anjunem dam reservoir in North Goa, besides, smaller water bodies are spread in the various parts of the state of which some are perennial and some are seasonal and when the water is less say knee deep ‘Shene’ a traditional net is used for catching the fish, while another type of net, ‘Yene’ is used when the water is deep to just less than the height of a man and in more deeper waters ‘Katali’ is used and this net is mostly used by fishermen who go in for fishing with canoe.
A person going for fishing during the monsoon said, “When we go for fishing in the fresh water we especially go during the nighttime as the fish come to the surface and nights are selected when there is no moonlight or less moonlight so that the only light is from the lamp we carry along with us.”
He also added, “The fish gets attracted towards the lamp light during the night time as it is the only source of light and it becomes easier to catch them during the nighttime as their movement is restricted by the lamp light and so there is a good catch during the nighttime, while during the daytime the fish move everywhere and it becomes difficult to catch them.”
A local said, “Fish is needed in our food, it may be two to three days a week and during the monsoon season we have to depend on the availability of inland fish. The quantity of fresh fish available in the state is less during this season and to meet the demand of the fish in the state it is also brought from other states.” During the monsoon the demand of the inland water crabs which are rich in protein are found almost everywhere in the state of Goa have also increased.
The demand for crabs (kurlio) is good in the state due to the tourism industry and especially the locals consume the inland water crabs due to their good taste and they are priced high in the local markets of the state and they cost around Rs 25 to Rs 100 per piece or sometimes more also depending on the size, bigger the size more the price.
In the markets if mostly less number of crabs come and the demand is more and so the price is high, however the price of crabs goes down if plenty of crabs are found, according to the information available from the vendors.
It may be noted that the sea crabs are cheaper than inland crabs and a ‘vato’ consisting of 10 to 15 crabs may be priced at around Rs 100, depending on the availability. This year most of June hardly had rains and some people couldn’t go for catching crabs. A big crab is sold at Rs 500 to 1000 and it may be noted that the price of the crabs mostly depends on its size and big crabs gives more money.