Complaint againt mid-night basket boats fishing in Mandovi river

 25.10.2025

To,

Director of Fisheries,

Government of Goa, 

Panaji, Goa

To,

Superitendent of Police,

Coastal Security, 

Panaji, Goa

To,

Captain of Ports,

Panaji, Goa 

Subject: Complaint againt mid-night basket boats fishing in Mandovi river

Madam/Sir, 

We seek your attention to mid-night illegal basket boats fishing in Mandovi river carried on with infant children on board. This is indeed very dangerous.

These people who come from outside Goa in truck are night use fishing passive fishing gears like gillnet soaked in animal fat of cattle and pigs to enhance fish attraction through smell.

This kinds of fishing is reported near Betim-Panjim Ferry crossings. Here is the link to online media reports about the same last week:

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GhNaRtjpM/

As a government authority we urge you to initiate action such unauthorized fishing practices in Mandovi river.

Thanking you.

Yours Truly, 

Shaila D'mello 

President 

Laximan Mangueshkar 

Secretary

Did Oceanmann swimming event had permissions for Bambolim beach?

There was face-off yesterday morning between Caranzalem fishers and the Oceanmann swimming team at Aivao Beach. It has now come to light that this event might have been permitted by Captain of Ports to be organised in Zuari river waters at Bambolim beach on 26 October 2025 morning. 

This is an interesting situation when the international swimming event had State permissions to host it at Bambolim Beach it got inplimented arbitrary to Aivao Beach without any State permissions.

Could the shift venue on this manner be because there is no Bambolim beach existing after being destroyed and swallowed by Hotel Grand Hyatt for upcoming retaining wall inside the river waters?

Or could the shift of venue in this manner vould be because of international negative publicity Hotel Grand Hyatt would have attracted for their Beach destruction in Bambolim?

Was Hotel Grand Hyatt carried on behind-the-scene operations to ensure that International swimming event doesn't take place at Bambolim beach?

If answer to above questions positive then we got into phase of over-tourism wherein tourism is not just gobling local people and ecology but another level where tourim is eating tourism itself. This is a phase disastrous and inevitable to avoid for capital and greed has taken the drivers seat while morals and justice is pushed to margins.

In Defence of Fishers of Caranzalem Beach!

Rampon fishing on Caranzalem Beach 

Today 26 October 2025 is one more day in history of Goa where fishers - women and men - valiantly fought back tourism aggression on Aivao Beach at Caranzalem. Oceanman, the global network behind this aggresion - declared on their website all the details of their plans to organise swimming races at the beach beginning with briefing at Cidade de Goa on 24 October 2025. The races were to be held at Caranzalem on Aivao Beach. Aivao is spelled on the website as Aivavo. Only missing information was consent from local fishermen. That cost them to be cast out of the beach today! Henceforth every corporate will know the value of consulting fishers on their plans.

Organisers were to have series of swimming races on 25-26 October 2025 on Caranzalem beach at Aivao.

Today races were to begin in two parts. First at 7.00 am and the second at 11.00 am.

As per online reports available local fishermen cast their fishing net -Rampon - early morning in waters exactly at the same Beach. Rampon fishing is Beach seine that is done with collaboration of nearly 80 people pulling the fishing nets at the two edges in waters casted through a big size boat. The gap between two edges of fishing nets is nearly two kilometers at the start and it diminishes towards the end of pulling effort. Caranzalem is one of the few beaches in Goa this rampon survives test of times as number of them has been closed down due to various factors.

Rampons has been genuine traditional marine fishing tradition of coastal Goa. The entire efforts of rampon takes nearly seven hours of hard non-stop pulling efforts. Once rampons are in waters no way it can be pulled up immediately.

There looked to be complete information gap between the Oceanman on one side promoting swimming races and the fishermen and fisherwonen engaged in fishing. Time of their operations clashed just as the Geography. Women led the charge. Private security of Oceanman behaved to threatened violence against fishers as per online reports. Police showed up on the beach. Several four wheelers seen moving on the beach. Invasion was real.

Fishers were in complete darkness over sudden decent of powerful strangers on their beach and chasing them off. Retaliation by handful of fishers was resolute. Strong enough to push the Oceanman dream swimming races wash down the drains of time. Fishers refused to bulge. They objected any swimming races inside their fishing nets.

Local fishers take turn to fishing in teams. Each team gets their turn of rampon after 19 days. What they earn on their turn of day has to fetch them income at least for next19 days. Or else they would go in financial crunch extending to debt.

Swimming races of paricipants from India and abroad suddenly threatened their occupational practices. They fought well. They deserve our support and respect.

There are series of attacks on fishers from vested interests from various quarters. Marinas, water sports and parasailing in Zuari river. PNJ boats in Sinquerim river. Water sports threats in Sal river. Gambling Casinos obstructing Verem fishing spaces at Reis Magos in Mandovi river.

Critical issue common in all the cases: Fishers are excluded from decision making and projects hostile to fishers interests are rolled out like magician pops out rabbit out of the hat. This must stop. State and corporates must not take fishers for ride any longer. If it's done then there will be consequences for sure!

Inspiring resistance is all over Goa and Caranzalem fisher fight back to defend their fishing practices is one more inspiring episode to cherish and remember!

Construction of wall in Zuari river waters at Bambolim by Hotel Grand Hyatt

25.10.2025

To,

Member Secretary, 

Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority, 

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Construction of wall in Zuari river waters at Bambolim by Hotel Grand Hyatt

Sir/Madam

All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) pre-occupied with the above subject as the its fisher members on Zuari river coast are directly affected.

There is ongoing construction of retaining wall in Zuari river waters by using heavy machinery specially at night time by Hotel Grand Hyatt at Bambolim.

The destruction in this manner of the coast has made portion of Bamboljm Beach dissappear under construction material dumped in by Hotel Grand Hyatt.

This is affecting fishing activities adversely. We are aware from media reports that many people including St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar has already brought this nefarious activity to your attention. However we write this to you after noticing that inspite of all the public objections Hotel Grand Hyatt continues to carry on constructions almost 10 meters into the Zuari waters. 

This encroaching of water spaces contributes to rising of water in fishing sites. 

Kindly direct your staff to stop this zuari river land grab immidiately. 

Thank you.

Yours sincerely, 

Shaila D'mello 

President 

Laximan Mangueshkar 

Secretary 

Copy to:

1. Chief Minister of Goa, Porvorim  Goa

2. Viresh Borkar, MLA, St. Andre Constituency

3. Sarpanch, Bambolim Panchayat, Bambolim, Curca, Goa

Gambler daddy!

Night of the lights. Really?

With gambling industry invading Mandovi ?

With Casino echelons putting Panjim under seize?

With Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment private Limited invading fishing spaces of Verem fishers?

With Panjim buildings being captured by casinos?

With government offices being shifted to Chimbel to make way for Gamblers?

With Panjim roads being turned into social sewage at nights?

With narcotics free flows all over?

With Panjim fish market in dilapidated state and its chapel in demolished state?

With Politicos in power on casino payroll lists?

Is it a night of light? Really?

Is it -more dangerously- light of the night where dark powers suffocating Goa?

We want to know. We want to triumph. We search tunnel-end light

Even though it's bright mid-night around the heart sense powers mysterious and shady

It's casino lobby!
It's gambler daddy!

Sebastian Rodrigues 

Review meeting on illegal mechazised fishing held

On 16.10.2025 review meeting was held at the request of All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU). Senior officers of the Fisheries Department including the Director, Deputy Director, staff entrusted with enforcement at Sea of Fisheries department, Senior officers of Captain of Ports, Deputy Superitendent of Police Coastal Security, Police Inspectors of Coastal Security Police Stations at Panaji and Harbor were present at the meeting. 40 members of AGSSRFU participated at the monitoring meeting. The High Court Judgement was circulated to the officials by AGSSRFU and point by point review was taken up.

It was revealed during discussion that there was move to take canoes of SSF on hire by Fisheries department to raid illegal trawlers and purse seiners. This move was rejected by fishers during the meeting itself. Authorities are held responsible to provide for the raiding boats.

It's important to recall High Court petition between All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union V/s Government of Goa, Writ Petition 370 of 2024. The directions issued in the Judgement are as follows:-


“i) Regular Patrolling by the officials from the Fisheries Department and Captain of Ports especially in the Mandovi and Zuari River.



ii) Patrol boats of the Fisheries department as well as Coastal Security Police must be stationed at the Dona Paula Jetty and not only at Vasco-da-Gama, because the illegal purse seine fishing takes place mostly at the Siridao/Dona Paula bay area.



iii) The Patrolling should also be after sunset as mostoften purse seine fishing takes place under the cover of darkness.



iv) The fisheries department to procure the required number of boats for patrolling and the officials of fisheries department and captain of ports should also be assisted by the coastal police. 



v) On detection of illegal purse seine fishing by trawler or vessel, the vessel should be seized and prosecution initiated against the vessel operator/owner in accordance with sections 18 & 21 of the Goa Daman and Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980.



vi) The Respondent nos. 2 to 4 and 7 should establish an effective monitoring, control and surveillance system to control and detect the illegal purse seine fishing, the system could be by equipping the patrol boats used by the coastal police and fisheries department with radar systems to track vessels used in purse seine fishing. 


vii) All fishing boats registered with captain of ports and fisheries department should have compulsorily fitted with GPS Tracking devices, so that their movements can be regulated and monitored. 



viii) The Captain of Ports and Coastal Police should maintain a register to record the number of rounds taken while patrolling.”


It was great that this meeting even took place. That meeting left us with important lessons on level of preparedness and eternal needed to defend Coastal aquatic systems with small scale fishers (SSF) as Frontline defenders, as Custodians, as Stewards.

Trawling so close to Candolim beach

This video of 10 October 2025. Trawling so close to Candolim beach.

Casino invasion of Verem village on Gandhi Jayanti

One week ago on 02 October 2025 Goa was stunned to know that Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd had invaded fishing water spaces of Verem fishers in broad daylight. Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd.  It was found that around dozen anchors were dropped in water of Mandovi off Verem coast. Each anchor weighed only 5000 kg. The anchors were dropped in the waters that are known for fishing hauls in a final preparation to introduce in Mandovi yet one more gambling monster vessel consisting of seven floors: casino of the size of giant building.

Local youngsters took lead in opposing the move and pushed the project on temporary halt.

Villagers met together to coordinate further action on Sunday 04 October 2025 at a local temple. Villagers decided upon number of steps to be taken upon to defend the village fishing livelihood system.

Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. Company’s Board of Directors are of Highstreet Cruises and Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. are Vrajesh Prabhakar Udani, Rajesh Satinderpal Jaggi, Anil Indru Malani, Ankita Ram Shirke, Shailendra Kumar Singh.

This casino group is popularly as Delton Corp. This group along with others have already caused huge damage to Mandovi river Fisheries by physically occupying the fishing spaces and releasing their sewage in Mandovi waters clandestinely.

Verem villagers in Bardez depends heavily upon fishing Mandovi river and installing  floating seven floor casino vessel would actually means a war on their livelihoods. Rightly they gave knee-jerk reaction and forced corporate to retreat.

Further progress in this regard is expected and awaited. Verem deserves all the support and appreciation for their determination to defend their fishing waters.

The latest attack on fishing spaces at Verem is believed to have occurred under blessings of Goa administration. Incidently when heavy anchors were sought to be deployed in Mandovi waters India's Home Minister Amit Shah was on visit to Goa. 

Trawling fishing almost on Candolim beach

 

This fishing trawler carried on illegal fishing so close to the Candolim beache at stone throw away distance in Goa making mockery of the 05 kms ban in specified area. 

Trawlers have politicians at highest positions as God Father's and they fear none on the planet. That's only reason as to why such brazen Violations of law goes on without any deterance.

Request for appointment with Director of Fisheries

03 October 2025

To,

Director of Fisheries, 

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Request for appointment with Director of Fisheries 

Madam,

We seek your urgent attention to the fact that from 15 September 2025 till 01 October 2025 there has been daily illegal fishing through trawling and purse seine at Zuari river mouth that begins around 8.00 pm and ends at around 3.00 am. Often fishing vessels switch off the navigation lights during such night operations.

There are enough laws and Court directions that we have brought to your attention in our previous communications. We are surprises to know that inspite of such communications to you earlier illegal mechanised fishing within specified area has only flourished instead of it being stopped and culprits booked.

We call upon Director of Fisheries to: 

(1) Give appointment to meet you to sort out the above matter and intimate us with dare and time. 

(2) Urgently convene joint meeting with Captain of Ports and Superitendent of Police (Coastal Security) along with All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) to solve this problem.

Awaiting your quick action. 

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely, 

Shaila D'mello 

(President)

Laximan Mangueshkar

(Secretary)