Call to halt non-stop fishing rights violations in Zuari River

Date: 20 April 2016

To,

The Governor,

Raj Bhavan, Cabo,

Dona Paula, Goa

To,

The Chief Minister

Government of Goa,

Secretariat, Porvorim,Goa

To,

Vishnu Surya Wagh, Dy. Speaker &

The Member of Legislative Assembly,

St. Andre Constituency,

Goa

To,

The Minister of Fisheries,

Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa

To,

The Secretary (Fisheries)

Secretariat, Porvorim,

Goa

To,

The Director of Fisheries,

Panjim, Goa

To,

Mr. A. Monsorrate,

The Member of Legislative Assembly,

Santa Cruz Constituency, Goa

To,

The Director-General of Police (DGP)

Police Headquarters,

Panjim, Goa

Subject: Call to halt non-stop fishing rights violations in Zuari River

Madam/Sir,

We write to you once again to update you on continues illegal fishing rights violations in Zuari River from December 28, 2015 till date based on our daily monitoring.

No	Date and Time	Nature of Fishing Rights Violation in Zuari River
01	28/12/2015 at 5.45 pm	2 mini-per seining carried on illegal fishing near Nauxim Coast
02	29/12/2015 at 5.30 pm	3 mini-per seining carried on illegal fishing. 2 near Bambolim and 1 near Siridao
03	30/12/2015 at 4.45 pm	2 mini-per seining carried on illegal fishing at Nauxim Coast
04	31/12/2015 at 6.00 pm	2 mini-per seining at Nauxim Coast carried on illegal fishing
05	03/01/2016 at 9.45 pm	2 mini-per seining carried on illegal fishing near Bambolim
06	03/01/2016 at 12.45 pm	15 mini-per seining carried on illegal fishing on Siridao – Odxel coast
07	04/01/2016 at 7.30 am	15 mini-per seining illegally lifted more than 25 tons of solar and white prawns from Siridao-Odxel coast
08	05/01/2016 at 6.00 am	10 mini-per seining boats carried on illegal fishing at Siridao-Odxel coast
09	05/01/2016 at 8.40 am	2 trawlers close to Cacra carried on illegal fishing
10	05/01/2016 at 9.00 am	22 mini-per seining boats carried on illgal fishing at Siridao-Odxel coast. Marine Police contacted, came on the site and went back without taking any action. Match fixing suspected.
11	09/01/2016 at 5.00 am	Two mini-per seining carried on illegal fishing near Siridao - Bambolim coast.
12	11/01/2016 at 3.30 pm	15 trawlers carried on illegal fishing within 200 meters of Siridao – Odxel Zuari coastline.
13	12/01/2016 at 3.50 pm	6 trawlers near Odxel Coast carried on illegal fishing
14	16/01/2016 at 3.10 pm	5 trawlers near Siridao – Odxel coast carried on illegal fishing
15	18/01/2016 at 5.00 pm	8 trawlers carried on illegal fishing at Siridao – Cacra coast. SMS campaign was launched to expose these violations. Fisheries department was annoyed. Superintendent of Fisheries called Rohidas Andrade, Bambolim convener of Bharat Mukti Morcha questioning the need for sms campaign. Rohidas was then told to wait till Superintendent report to the site. Even after awaiting for 90 minutes no official from Fisheries department turned up. We wonder as to why department is wasting our time and energy.
16	19/01/2016 at 3.15 am	6 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near Siridao early morning.
17	19/01/2016 at 10.00 am	12 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
18	19/01/2016 at 1.00 pm	8 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
19	20/01/2016 at 1.15 pm	4 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
20	20/01/2016 at 1.40 pm	6 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
21	20/01/2016 at 7.50 pm	4 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
22	21/01/2016 at 2.30 pm	13 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
23	22/01/2016 at 5.50 pm	2 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
24	23/01/2016 at 5.10 pm	5 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near Odxel coast
25	24/01/2016 at 5.10 pm	5 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near Odxel coast
26	26/01/2016 at 5.50 pm	2 trawlers carried on illegal fishing.
27	28/01/2016 at 8.50 am	2 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
28	28/01/2016 at 4.40 pm	22 trawlers carried on illegal fishing at Siridao-Odxel Coast. Fisheries department responding to calls from fishermen replied that their patrol boat has suffered breakdown. Later in the evening one official from Fisheries department informed that patrol boat is okay and purposely it was not sent at the site of violations. This is pathetic way of functioning of the fisheries department.
29	29/01/2016 at 3.20 pm	15 trawlers carried on illegal fishing atr Nauxim-Odxel coast.
30	30/01/2016 at 3.50 pm	2 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near cacra – odxel coast.
31	02/02/2016 at 5.00 pm	3 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
32	04/02/2016 at 3.30 pm	13 trawlers carried on illegal fishing at Carca-Odxel coast.
33	05/02/2016 at 4.00 pm	22 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Harbor Police replied that there is no diesel in their patrol boat.
34	06/02/2016 at 4.40 pm	6 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near Odxel coast.
35	10/02/2016 at 9.10 am	10 trawlers carried on illegal fishing.
36	11/02/2016 at 3.15 pm	10 trawlers carried on illegal fishing
37	17/02/2016 at 2.30 pm	6 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near Siridao - Odxel coast.
38	20/02/2016 at 3.15 pm	06 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near odxel coast.
39	22/02/2016 at 01.00 pm	06 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Police at Harbour Police Station contacted. Police came in boats and chased the trawlers away.
40	23/02/2016 at 5.00 am	03 mini per seining boats carried on illegal fishing.
41	23/02/2016 at 8.00 am	03 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Police at harbor Police station contacted. Police came in boats and chased trawlers away. Further action against trawlers not known.
42	27/02/2016 at 8.50 am	05 trawlers carried on illegal fishing  within 500 meters of Cacra-Odxel coast. Harbor Police station informed over phone. Action taken not known.
43	07/03/2016 at 10.00 am	From this day onwards there is non stop daily violations of fishing rights by Aquasail in Zuari river. Boating is being carried on where traditionally fishing used to be carried on near Nauxim- Bambolim coast.
44	10/03/2016 at 3.30 pm	04 trawlers carried on illegal fishing in Zuari. At 6.00 pm their number increased to 06 of which 02 were off Cacra coast.
45	11/03/2016 at 4.00 pm	06 trawlers carried on illegal fishing.
46	12/03/2016	Trawlers have carried on night fishing illegally. How far fisheries department is prepared to tackle the problem of night illegal fishing?
50	15/03/2016 at 03.00 pm	22 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Superintendent of Fisheries Hrishikesh instead of crackdown on illegal trawling told BMM Bambolim Covnenor Rohidas Andrade not to complain about illegal fishing. Whose interest Hrishikesh is serving? Trawlers? Too bad.
51	16/03/2016 at 9.15 am	Two trawlers carried on illegal fishing off Cacra – Odxel Coast.
52	20/03/2016 at 10.00 am	Fishing in Zuari river disrupted. Aquasail – Hotel Grand Hyatt deployed 30 water racing boats into Zuari river. This violation is going on due to political patronage of Indian defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.
53	22/03/2016 at 09.55 pm	Night Fishing: 04 trawlers carried on illegal fishing off one kilometer Cacra coast.
54	23/03/2016 at 04.00 pm	03 trawlers carried on illegal fishing off Odxel – Cacra coast. At 05.00 pm the number of trawlers increased to 05. Police and Fisheries department non-responsive. Superintendent of Fisheries informed Sebastian Rodrigues, Goa State Convenor of Bharat Mukti Morcha that he has sent both the boats for Patrolling in South Goa at Cutbona. He informed that Fisheries Department has just two boats but none to patrol Zuari river. Why exclusive Patrol boat for Zuari not installed so far? There is need for Patrol boat for every river in Goa. Harbour Police were inaccessible ove the phone. Why did their land line not accessible? All together today illegal fishing was carried on by trawlers from 01.00 pm to 6.30 pm.
55	24/03/2016 at 03.00 pm to 06.00 pm	07 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Fisheries Minister Avertano Furtado’s mobile was switched off. Harbor Police Station, Vasco telephone line not working. Fisheries department control room in Panjim contacted three times by Rohidas Andrade. On all three occasions they promised to immediately dispatch patrol boat but never was it seen in Zuari. Fisheries control room bluffed on every occasion.
56	26/03/2016 at 03.45 pm	08 trawlers carried on illegal fishing in Zuari. Harbour Police contacted. Promised to sent boats to raid.
57	29/03/2016 at 02.00 pm to 05.00 pm	05 trawlers carried on illegal fishing in Zuari river. Superintendent of Fisheries Hrishikesh refused to act in spite of telephonic complaint to him.
58	02/04/2016 at 04.25 pm	08 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Harbor Police Station as well as Fisheries Control room did not answer calls.
59	05/04/2016 at 05.15 pm	08 trawlers carried on illegal fishing near Siridao coast. Harbor Police and Fisheries department refused to act in spite of telephonic complaints.
60	06/04/2016 at 07.30 pm	06 trawlers carried on illegal fishing. Harbor Police and Fisheries department refused to act in spite of telephonic complaints.
61	07/04/2016 at 01.00 pm	08 trawlers carried on illegal fishing in Zuari. Police at harbor as well as Fisheries control room did not answer telephone calls.
62	09/04/2016 at 7.30 am	05 trawlers carried on illegal fishing off Cacra coast. Their number increased to 07 at 09.30 am.

This data indicates that there have been 62 instances of fishing rights violations as documented by Bharat Mukti Morcha units at Zuari Coast. Trawling particularly has taken its toll of the riverbed as trawling involved digging of the river bed. This is ecologically harmful style of fishing. This type of fishing is being carried on inspite of it being outlawed by law in rivers.

In addition to this we also want to bring to your kind attention that trawling and mini-per seining and trawling also takes place during night time. Due to darkness we are not able to give your proper count.

Kindly take immediate steps to stop illegal fishing during day and night. As per the above data in the table the safe conclusion is that there is high level of irresponsibility in its functioning.

Bharat Mukti Morcha calls upon you to act responsibly and stop illegal fishing in Zuari River. Install permanent 24 x 7 fishing patrol vessel in Zuari River.

Fisheries department has been acting as toothless tiger in cracking down on fishing rights violators in Zuari river as indicated in the table above. There is political muscle flexing behind these violations.

Thank you,

Yours sincerely,

Maggie Silveira

President,

Goa State Unit

Sanjay Pereira

Convener,

Cacra unit 

Rohidas Andrade

Convener,

Bambolim unit

Soccoro Braganza

Convener, Siridao Unit

Anthony Cardozo

Convener,

Curca Unit

Sitaram Pereira

Convener,

Odxel Unit

Milind Palkar

Convener,

Nauxi unit

Chandrakant Lotlikar

Secretary,

Siridao Unit

Hanuman Dias

Co-convenor

Odxel Unit

Honu Dinkar,

Co-convener,

Odxel Unit

Deu Kankonkar

Secretary,

Nauxi Unit

Bikaro Dias

Co-convener,

Odxel Unit

Yeshwant Shirodkar,

Co-convener,

Odxel Unit

Manguesh Sawant,

Co-convener,

Odxel unit

Amir Mardolkar,

Co-convener,

Nauxim Unit

Francis Coelho,

Co-convener,

Nauxim Unit

Dulba Pereira,

Co-convener,

Cacra Unit

Santosh Gauns,

Co-convener,

Cacra Unit

Sheila D’mello,

Co-convener

Cacra Unit

Santosh Kukalkar,

Co-convener

Cacra unit