JOSEPH PINTO |NT
NERUL: Livelihood of the traditional fishermen along the state coast has been threatened as illegal LED fishing and bull trawling is being carried out rampantly, with the concerned authorities turning a blind eye to it.
These fishermen now feel that their age-old occupation will be lost forever if the illegality in not stopped.
The traditional fishermen at the Coco beach have expressed deep concern over sustaining their families in the absence of a good catch.
There are 140 fibre fishing boats at Dandade- Nerul at the Coco beach which are involved in fishing in a traditional way throughout the year.
The fishermen there told the media that after the code of conduct came into force, LED fishing and bull trawling, which were banned after the fishermen were allegedly lathi-charged in Panaji while protesting over the same issue, have once again started.
The illegal fishing is in full swing and this has reduced the catch of those fishing using traditional methods, they said.
They said that they used to get a good catch but ever since the code of conduct came into force the catch has dropped drastically, and added that that they are worried, and are now pinning their hope on the Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar to save their livelihood.
President of Nerul Fishermen Association Damacio Mendes told this daily that “after the fishermen were lathi-charged in Panaji as they were protesting over illegal LED fishing and bull trawling, once again LED fishing and bull trawling are being carried out openly and no action is being taken by the fisheries department against it. If the illegality is allowed to go on, the traditional fishermen will have to take to the streets, and even block the mouth of River Mandovi once again.”
Mendes said that “no judicial probe into the lathi-charge incident has been done. The fishermen were harassed and kept waiting for hours at the police station.”
“We are not against any political party. Our only demand is that the illegal activities, which have ruined our traditional occupation, be stopped,” he added.
Joaquim Mendes, a traditional fisherman from the Coco beach, said that the traditional fishermen have been hit badly with the illegal LED fishing and bull trawling being carried out on a large scale.
He said that “even the cost of petrol cannot be recovered. Per trip petrol worth Rs 5,000 is needed to venture into the deep sea. Every fishing boat has 8 to 10 workers on board. The catch has drastically dropped during the last 15 days. We are pinning hope on the new government to bail us out of the situation.”
Jerome Fernandes, another traditional fisherman from Dandade-Nerul, said that 350 workers work on the boats at the Coco beach. The workers have now threatened to leave the work and go to their native places as there is no good catch. As per the mutual understanding, the value of the catch is divided between the owner and the workers, after taking out the petrol money. Presently, the workers get only Rs 30-40 per head. Before the code of conduct came into force, each worker used to get Rs 800-1200.”
Another fisherman from the Coco beach Gabriel Dias said that “the fishermen have taken loans to buy fishing equipment. Bank installment cannot be paid by selling this sort of catch. The fishermen are worried as the traditional fishing activity is in doldrums.”
A worker from Jharkhand, working on the fishing boat at the Coco beach, said that “the catch for this last 15 days has dropped drastically. We get only Rs 30-40 a day. Before the start of the illegal LED fishing, we used to get more than Rs 800 per head. If this sort of situation persists, then we would be forced to go back to the native places.”