As the 61-day fishing ban comes to an end at midnight on July 31, trawler owners in South Goa seemed eager to head back out to sea, especially for a prized catch of solar shrimps which surface around this time.
However the new fishing season has not brought smiles to all the trawler owners, as they are facing perennial challenges; delayed arrival of labourers, choppy seas and the presence of sandbars at the mouth of Cavelossim sea.
A visit to the Cutbona jetty in Velim revealed that a large number of trawlers may not venture out to sea due to labour shortages and adverse weather conditions.
Some labourers from Odisha, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka who have returned to the jetty were seen loading nets onto trawlers, while others played cricket, cards, or watched television during the downtime.
At the jetty TOI spoke to Francis Fernandes, a trawler owner from Colva who was stacking fishing nets. He said that his entire workforce is yet to return from their two-month break, and the sudden change in weather has made it unfavourable to venture into the sea.
A new entrant in the fishing business expressed concerns about the changing weather conditions and decided against sending his trawler out to sea. He said he had received sound advice from experienced trawler owners that taking such risks is not practical.
While the end of the fishing ban marks the beginning of a new season and the opportunity to catch the prized solar shrimps, challenges persist for trawler owners. Labour shortages, high winds and warnings from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) are factors that prevent few trawlers from setting sail as the fishing season begins.
Meanwhile, the 300-oddmechanised fishing boats anchored at the Malim jetty are yet to get their engines running.
Majority of the labour force from Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu is yet to return to Goa owing to which mechanised fishing operations in the state are likely to see a delay by a week or even a fortnight.
“It makes no sense to start only a boat or two. We have, therefore, resolved to wait until next week till workers return and then start operations,” said fisherman, Menino Afonso.
“All boat owners may not be keen on starting full swing given the weather and lack of labour force. The fishing season is officially starting since August 1. However, it is up to the boat owners when they wish to commence operations,” a fisheries official told TOI.