Do you feel that fish farmed through aquaculture is as good as wild caught fish?

 "Do you feel that fish farmed through aquaculture is as good as wild caught fish?"

Ethics and Political Agenda of Goa Chief Minister Research program in Fisheries

This is a question number 4 of the Fisheries online survey currently being carried by Abigail Fernandes Research Fellow in Goa Chief Minister's team at the links https://forms.gle/3YhBK8PfZwgFhVPz9 

Glance at the nature of questions framed signals that State Government is attempting to manufacture consent to go ahead enforcing industrialization of Goa's rivers that were taken over by Central Government without anyone in Goa being consulted except then Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar who betrayed Goa through his clandestine consent to declare six rivers of Goa as National Waterways in 2016.

However fishing communities continued fight back even after Goa Forward betrayed through their U-turn stand on National Waterways issue. From 2006 till 2023 there were various attempts to brainwash people of Goa and surrender rivers for its industrial destruction.

Abigail Fernandes as skilled researcher has joined CM's team. Crisis is not in her skill but in ethics including agenda of this research. She has been ably facilitated in this venture by Director of Fisheries Deepesh Priolkar through his official letter no. DF/ADMN/GCMFP/2023-24/3095 dated 12/09/2023 to various Fisheries organisations and Societies as well as two Deans from Goa University namely Dean, School of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, and Dean, School of Biological Sciences and Bio-technology. Copy of the letter is also marked to Director of Planning and Statistics & Evaluation.

One point program of the CM's research agenda is to drive ahead Cage fishing (form of aquaculture) at large scale in Goa. Goa Government as well as Central Government has framed number of funding schemes in this direction. The political agenda has remained constant from 2016 to 2023: expulsion of fishers from the rivers. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari used to visit Goa in 2015-16 and exhort fishermen in Zuari to give up gillnet fishing and go for trawling in seas. He used to say this in order to empty Zuari river of all small-scale fishers so that Marinas at Nauxim and Sancoale can be installed. These Marinas that were planned in 2010 hasn't materialized and Coastal ecology is still intact without such industrialization due fundamental objections on fishing grounds. 

Fishing within 12 naitical miles is State subject under the Constitution of India. Even if Goa's rivers are declared as National Waterways it has no Jurisdiction to inflict damage on Fisheries in any state. Manohar Parrikar during his last stint as Chief Minister of Goa got various MoUs signed between Captain of Ports and Inland Waterways Authority of India. Dredging of rivers is major objection of fishers followed by shrinking fishing spaces. He attempted to dualogue with groups of people on December 11, 2017 but could not answer questions from Maggie Silveira, then President of Bharat Mukti Morcha, Goa Unit on the decision making process involving Goa's six rivers as National Waterways. Parrikar simply stated that itbis like Goa Liberation of 1961 and Government of India doesn't require to consult anyone before passing any laws in Parliament of India. Maggie then questioned him back as to what is the use of calling India a democracy. Parrikar then quickly said that now meeting is closed. Yet dissent on Goa's rivers as National Waterways has continued.

State and Central governments in India -largely controlled by corporate and industrial interests - have promoted large scale funds towards aquaculture.

Directorate of Fisheries had granted permision fie Cage fishing on Divar island to one industrial enterprise named Champions Island. RTI query with Goltim-Navelim Panchayat had no data on species of fish farmed through cages. Later on others revealed that permision for Cage fishing was only an alibi to get access to tourism boats for water sports. Champions Island in the name of Cage fishing wentbon to destroy Mangroves, dredge the river and destroyed fertile fish breeding spaces. This has disrupted fishing activities and authorities such as local Panchayat of Goltim-Navelim, North Goa Collector, MLA, Director of Fisheries as well as Chief Minister has neglected. On the contrary there is massive promotion of illegal sand mining at night in Mandovi as well as water sports that has negatively affected small scale fishing in Mandovi.

Instead of protecting fishers and rivers Goa Government is pursuing industrial agenda on rivers. This is not only unfortunate but lethal to small scale Fisheries.

Now let's turn to question no. 4 for some reflection. Question reads "Do you feel that fish farmed through aquaculture is as good as wild caught fish?"

The feeling focus is noteworthy. What research aims through this question is collection of peoples feelings. Is this question already not well settled scientifically? But than resorting to science would mean departure from feelings into the world of thinking. This research is therefore research into collection of feelings. Intellectually this is shallow exercise.

Fish farmed through aquaculture has variety of connotations in different parts of India. Internationally we just witnessed  conclusion of the year of Artisanal Fisheries and aquaculture under FAO. However for Goa river context this is problematic. More so because farming of fish involves confining fish in particular spot and feeding with all kinds of things, increasing vulnerabilities including high risk of specie escapes. Aquaculture was prevalent in Goa's traditional salt pans "Agors", "poim" and flourished without intensive chemical inputs. Prawn farms on the banks of Sal river is another variety that had shut salt pans down.

What is the matter of concern here however is Cage fishing in rivers at juncture in time when Goa's rivers are declared as National Waterways and Corporates are eager to takeover our rivers gor interests as divers as tourism, mining and other purposes such as coal transportation. MOEF & CC Expert Appraisal Committee was approached by Inland Waterways Authority of India on behalf of some 228 mining barges from Goa to dredge mandovi, Cumbharjua and Zuari rivers by organising proper Public Hearings. State Government took the route of constructing floating Jetties to avoid Public Hearing.

Question assumes that wild caught fish is good. Issue sought to be posed is whether farm fish is as good too. Let's deal with this matter this way. Is life for human in prison is as good as life in freedom? One has to be some degree of sadist even to imagine such a question. One has to be morally deformed to answer that life in prison is as good as free life outside. What this question aims is to condition us to say farm fish is as good as wild caught fish brushing aside pertinent ethical issues. Issue of freedom is central in these discourses and surely point is driven home.  It has also been observed on 05 October 2023 evening at around 6.15 pm that digital option to respond negatively was disabled on website and it was enabled only after complaint was lodged with Abigail Fernandes by fishermen Roque Menezes. Fernandes responded with attempted cover up statement that touch of fisherman wasn't on check box and negative option is enabled. So basically research discourges negative feedback from general public by resorting to digital chicanery. This is like whichever party you vote in EVM BJP gets them on their account! This raises questions on credibility of this research enterprise and intellectual honestly of the researcher.

Few years back there were attempts to uproot stake fishing in the middle of rivers in Goa. This was resisted too by various groups of fishing communities. Fishers has fought tooth and nail against every attempt to safeguard Goa's rivers. Latest attempt is rather soft involving research and lure of money to confine fishing c9mmunities into cages. Research is checking out awareness on various schemes related to Fisheries in Goa. What is surprising is that research has taken online route rather than direct meetings with fishing communities and recording fishers responses manually. Anyway that's researcher headache what is our studied concern is ethics of the research being pursued to tailor suit particular political agenda of the corporate and industry interests.

There are several research areas that one can pursue in Goa's river connected Fisheries. What needs attention is ethics and politics underlying research agenda. This note is contribution in this regard.