Impediments created for fishing canoes at Campal, Panaji

22.04.2025

To,

Director of Fisheries,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Captain of Ports,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Director of Tourism, 

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Commisioner,

Corporation of City of Panjim,

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Impediments created for fishing canoes at Campal, Panaji

Sir/Madam,

It has been brought to our urgent attention by our afflitatiate fishing Union in Goa namely All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) that its members with fishing canoes stationed at Campal are facing various kinds of impediments from Directorate of Tourism, Forest Department and CCP combine. These local fishers who undertake fishing in Mandovi river are told from April 06, 2025 by various officials of these departments that their cannoes looks dirty and they must not dock their canoes at the present venue.

What is dirty and beautiful is based on subjective bias of the beholder. National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF) strongly objects to referring Goa's traditional fishing occupation and their canoes as "dirty".

Moreover we wish to revive the memory that traditional canoe parking spaces at Campal Beach has been progressively encroached upon by Forest department by undertaking plantations of Cajurina and Mangroves. 

NFSF considers this as sustained aggression against Goa's traditional fishing occupation and calls upon your urgent attention to do away with above cited impediments to fishing communities with immediate effect to enable fishers to carry their occupation without any trouble from CCP, Tourism Department, and Forest Department. 

Thanking You.

Yours Truly,

Sebastiao Rodrigues

General Secretary

National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers  (NFSF)