Slamming the state Fisheries Department on its failure to implement ban on Bull or pair trawling and use of LED lights equipped with or with generator in the territorial waters of the state, the All Goa Fishermen Union (AGFU) on Monday threatened to take law in their hands if government fails to act against Bull or pair trawling and LED fishing in next seven days. Addressing a press conference in Vasco, AGFU General Secretary and Vice-Chairperson of National Fish workers’ Forum Olencio Simoes said: After a state level agitation at Panjim and Betul, the State government had issued orders banning the use of Bull or pair trawling and use of LED lights equipped with or with generator in the territorial waters and Indian Exclusive Zone (EEZ). This was later followed by a similar order issued by Central government. However, it is sad to note that such rampant violation still continues in the territorial waters and Indian Exclusive Zone (EEZ). This blatant violation of Goan fishing trawlers has gone to such an extent that they were found using LED lights in Maharashtra, near Malvan Coast, where three Goan fishing trawlers — registered in the name of Deroyl D Silva vessel number IND GA O1 MM 145, IND GA 01 MM104 registered in the name Alcino Almedia and IND GA 01 452 registered in the name Bhicao J. Madgaonkar — were caught by the Fisheries Department of Maharashtra. But the Fisheries Department of Goa has turned blind eye towards these illegalities in the State which shows that something is suspicious in this issue, Olencio added. AGFU President Agnelo Rodrigues said that the Government had spent cores of rupees to purchase patrol vessel Ave Maria-14 designed to conduct patrolling in inland and sea water. But the crew employed is unfit and all need to be suspended since even after repeated complaints still no action has been taken on the violators till date. He stated that the LED lights used are of mostly 1600 watts up to 5000 watts which are powered by additional genset /generator, which attracts fish from 5km and due to the intense heat generated by the lights the juvenile fish along will all corals and marine vegetation gets destroyed. Several species of diurnal and nocturnal fish habitat will be destroyed as the Diurnal fish (fish that is active during the day) is adapted to avoid diurnal predators, but at night, they hide themselves away and tend to sleep deeply, even having evolved defences to prevent nocturnal (those that are most active during the night) predators from detecting their scent. As such the use of LED lights will totally destroy ecology and the fish will get totally extinct as the LED lights will completely destroy their nursing grounds of several species of fish, he claimed. We demand the Fisheries Minister as well as CM to intervene in the matter and take necessary action to impound boats that make use of LED lights with genset/generators within next seven days, failing which we will be compelled to take law into our hands if this violation continues.