Batting for sustainable fishing, traditional fishermen from Benaulim on World Fisheries Day made a fervent plea to the government to rein in on fishing vessels from Gujarat, Karnataka and Maharashtra indulging in bull trawling and fishing with high speed boat to save marine resources.
In fact, the traditional fishermen pointed out that what they are looking forward is not subsidies but action in the seas to stop the fishing vessels from the neighbouring states from fishing in the territorial waters of Goa.
Reiterating their commitment to provide fresh and ice free fish to the fishing loving Goans, Benaulim-based fisherman Pele Fernandes has called for Chief Minister Pramod Sawant’s intervention to save the traditional fishermen from these outside fishing boats.
“We are not asking for any subsidies. We only want the government to support sustainable fishing. When these outside red-coloured fishing boats from other states come here for fishing, they resort to bull trawling and fishing with LED lights, affecting our catch,” he said.
Fishermen pointed action by the government against outside fishing vessels has not been tough enough to deter them from entering into the territorial waters of Goa for fishing. “It is clear that the government is turning a blind eye to the illegal fishing in the sea. That’s the reason why we don’t get much catch of fish such as kingfish and shrimp, but had to contend with mackerels and sardines,” Pele added.
He warned the government that the traditional fishermen will have no option than to hold a meeting outside the Fisheries Department to stop illegal fishing methods adopted by the outside fishing boats. “If all these protests do not evoke positive action from the government, we will be forced to go on a hunger strike for action against the outside fishing boats and to support sustainable fishing,” he warned.