The Directorate of Fisheries has taken up the task of amending the Goa, Daman and Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980 and Goa, Daman and Diu Marine Fishing Regulations, 1981 to make the Act a deterrent to rampant illegal fishing. Currently, the penalty for illegal fishing is Rs 100, holding back subsidy and at the maximum, suspending or cancelling the licence of the vessels, and since the year 1982, this has not been revised. Gross illegalities are going on. Hence, we have initiated the process to amend the existing laws in such a way that once fine is imposed, the defaulter will never think of repeating the same mistake again, said Govind Jaiswal, Fisheries Secretary, who also holds the additional charge of director of the fisheries department. Holding back subsidies and suspending or cancelling the licence of vessels has not worked out well. So, we have decided to increase the penalty. However, I cannot disclose the amount, but certainly I can say that it will be a substantially big amount. The law ought to be stringent, as it is not only a question of illegal fishing but also the question of coastal security, he said. It may be recalled that recently the department released data, which revealed that 246 fishermen were caught by coastal police venturing into the sea without identity cards. Besides, around 47 vessels were also caught venturing into the sea without vessel registration certificate. Jaiswal said that show-cause notices have been issued to the defaulters and the enforcement wing of the department has been directed to take strict action against them. He said that the department has taken up the work of issuing radio frequency identification (RFID) cards to fishermen on its own and will not outsource the contract to any private party. The department has installed the software in our headquarters and we are in the process of purchasing a printer. Currently, in the absence of RFID cards, the fishermen are being given yellow identity cards to prove their identity. Once the system falls in place, we will make RFID card mandatory for everyone. RFID will be made available to fishermen at various jetties, he said. Jaiswal said that a team of the fisheries department will soon visit the coastal states of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to study the prospect of adopting their model of fish corporation for Goa. We want to form a corporation, which will be financially feasible for the state and we are planning to have it on no profit and no loss basis. To study the same, a team will be sent to three coastal states, he said. Commenting on the shortage of fish in market, Jaiswal said that the department will have to work out a plan with the department of civil supplies and consumer affairs to ascertain the flow of fish in market, as they are the authorities that monitor the purchase and sale and it does not fall under the prerogative of the fisheries department, as it is concerned only with the regulation aspect and welfare schemes for the fishing community.