Boat owners allege violations by traditional fisherfolk during ban

Panaji: Mechanised boat owners on Tuesday alleged that canoe operators run by traditional fishermen were engaging in blatant violations during the ongoing 61-day fishing ban, which is meant to facilitate the breeding of fish. They alleged that the canoe boats, which are permitted to fish within one nautical mile during the ban period, were making use of monofilament fishing nets and motors with increased horsepower for normal fishing purposes.“These are traditional fishermen who are not allowed to use mechanised gear. If they continue operating with such tools exceeding 9.9 horsepower, it puts the canoe operators in the ‘mechanised category’ and their operations will affect fish breeding during the ban period,” said boat owner Sebastiao Cardozo. The boat owners further demanded immediate intervention by govt and the high court in this matter.Under the provisions of the Goa Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980, fishing vessels fitted with mechanical propulsion systems are barred from operations during the fishing ban period. However, registered motorised canoes equipped with outboard or inboard motors of up to 10 horsepower capacity are exempted, provided they utilise gill nets exclusively for fishing purposes.“There are fisheries superintendents and jetty staff to ensure that mechanised boat owners are not violating the ban. However, the scrutiny is not extended to canoe owners. There is no effort by the fisheries department to conduct health checks on the migrant workers on canoes either or verify their identity. They are a completely unorganised sector,” mechanised fisherman Harshad Dhond said.Goa govt annually imposes a ban from June 1 to July 31, prohibiting fishing activities using mechanical means of propulsion, trawl nets, and purse seine nets. The ban applies along the seacoast and territorial waters of the state.