The All-Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union has raised questions about whether fishing activities in the State will be halted for the sake of the National Games. In a statement released on Tuesday, the Union strongly criticised any attempts to cease fishing activities of small-scale fishers in the Arabian Sea and Zuari River. They called upon the Goa government to refrain from pursuing such a “suicidal adventure”.
The Union referred to information they received on Tuesday that the State government, through the Captain of Ports (CoP), was making efforts to suspend fishing activities in the Arabian Sea along Vainguinim beach, along which a starred resort is located. The stretch has a small fishing community with a few canoes primarily operated by traditional gillnet fishermen. “The National Games in Goa are set to begin shortly, lasting for 20 days, and if the State government’s plans come to fruition, fishermen and their families will lose their livelihoods for 20 days or potentially even indefinitely, if fishermen lose access to Vaingunim beach,” said the Union leaders.
“What is even more distressing is that the Captain of Ports office is instructing fishermen to clear the beach of canoes. This situation is indeed a nightmare,” they added further. The fisherfolk and residents around Vainguinim beach had previously held protests when a concrete wall was illegally constructed on the sandy beach in 2021, a move that was not only an encroachment of the Coastal Regulation Zone but also seen as a threat against the fisher community.
The Union members also highlighted that similar attempts were made during the G-20 Summit, to clear the beach of fishing canoes, but local fishermen vehemently resisted such efforts and continued their fishing activities. The Union further recalled the incidents where fishermen at Morjim beach were targeted by the Tourism Department through the demolition of huts, and fishermen at Cacra beach were also targeted through mischievous fires recently. “The All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union condemns the covert anti-fisher policies that are being carried out through the Captain of Ports and other State agencies,” the Union leaders emphasised.