Four seized trawlers go missing from Panaji jetty

Panaji: A police complaint has been filed against four impounded fishing vessels, three of them carrying fish, which escaped from the fisheries jetty in Panaji at 7am on Thursday, director of fisheries, Shamila Monteiro said.

The escape has raised concerns about the lack of overnight security at the jetty. Monteiro stated that under existing fisheries laws, the responsibility of safeguarding impounded vessels lies with the vessel owners, not the department.

A fisheries official told TOI, “We do not have facilities for officers to stay overnight at the jetty. Even the authorised officer cannot remain there continuously. Coastal police were requested to deploy their personnel, but no one was sent. Without their support, it becomes difficult to hold vessels for too long since it can be construed as unlawful detention.”

A day earlier, 14 boats from Karnataka and Maharashtra were identified during an operation to quell alleged illegal fishing in Goan waters. Among these, two vessels escaped immediately, two were forced to anchor at sea due to engine failure, while 10 vessels were brought and impounded at the Panaji jetty on Wednesday. Three vessels containing illegally caught fish, along with one more vessel, escaped from the impoundment site on Thursday.

Sources from the department said they were unable to auction the seized fish on Wednesday, and it remained in the vessels.
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