Thursday, 24 November 2016
Wednesday, 9 November 2016
Mini per seine fishing in Zuari violates Earth Charter
Date: 27/10/2016
To,
The
Director,
Directorate
of Fisheries,
Panjim, Goa
Subject: Continuing violation of fishing rights in
Zuari river
Madam,
We wish to
let you know about continues fishing rights violation in Zuari river.
Mini- per
seine boats is constant violators. One of their boats was found tossed up on
Siridao shore on Friday 16th September 2016. This boat was from
Vasco and all the labourers on board were without their labour cards and boat
was without owner. This was possible because Fisheries department has not
installed proper monitoring system in the form of 24 hour fishing patrol boat
in Zuari in spite of repeated requests from our side.
On 19th
October 2016 and 20th October 2016 there was mini – per seine boats
again carried on illegal fishing early in the morning and continued till
afternoon. Similarly on 21st October 2016 around 10 mini per seine
boats carried on illegal fishing before 7.00 am The peak of illegal fishing by
mini –per seine boats in recent times took place on 22nd October
2016 before 7.00 am when nearly 50 boats carried on illegal fishing within 100
meters from Siridao – Cacra shoreline. Your department was telephonically
informed but we have not seen any action from your side to correct the wrongs
being committed inside Zuari river.
You may note
that the Earth Charter (http://earthcharter.org/invent/images/uploads/echarter_english.pdf)
in its Principle 15 (C) reads as follows
“Avoid or eliminate to the full extent possible the taking or
destruction of non-targeted species.” You may be aware that per seine and
mini-per seine nets is all about destruction of non targeting species.
Fisheries department has not taken any steps to defend the eco system of Zuari
river and allowed mini-per seine boats to go on a rampage with their nets of
even less than 5 mm in size that catches tiny fish that is either discarded or
sold as fertilizer. This is gross insult to fish eating people in Goa and body
blow to the eco system of Zuari river.
We call upon you to act on two grounds:
1.
Install
24 hours monitoring of Zuari river for illegal fishing
2.
Limit
the net size of those carrying on fishing to 25 mm
Lastly we
also want to place on record that because Bharat Mukti Morcha has been raising
ethical issues in fisheries in Goa one of our convener Sanjay Pereira and
Siridao village Fishermen has been facing arm-twisting treatment in the form of
threat of violence inside Zuari River to conform to unsustainable way of
fishing harmful to ecology. For us to conform to sick society is be sick. We
won’t. We inform you well in advance for you to act.
Your prompt
will be highly appreciated.
Thanking
you,
Yours
Sincerely,
Maggie
Silveira,
President
Goa State
Sd/-
Sanjay
Pereira
Convener,
Cacra
unit
Sd/-
Rohidas
Andrade
Convener,
Bambolim
unit
Sd/-
Soccoro
Braganza
Convener,
Siridao Unit
Sd/-
Anthony
Cardozo
Convener, Curca
Unit
Sd/-
Sitaram
Pereira
Convener, Odxel
Unit
Sd/-
Milind
Palkar
Convener, Nauxi
unit
Sd/-
Chandrakant
Lotlikar
Secretary,
Siridao Unit
Sd/-
Hanuman Dias
Co-convenor
Odxel Unit
Sd/-
Honu Dinkar,
Co-convener,
Odxel Unit
Sd/-
Deu
Kankonkar
Secretary,
Nauxi Unit
Sd/-
Bikaro Dias
Co-convener,
Odxel Unit
Sd/-
Yeshwant
Shirodkar,
Co-convener,
Odxel Unit
Sd/-
Manguesh
Sawant,
Odxel unit
Sd/-
Amir
Mardolkar,
Co-convener,
Nauxim Unit
Sd/-
Francis
Coelho,
Co-convener,
Nauxim Unit
Sd/-
Dulba
Pereira,
Co-convener,
Cacra Unit
Sd/-
Santosh
Gauns,
Co-convener,
Cacra
Unit
Sd/-
Sheila
D’mello,
Co-convener
Cacra Unit
Sd/-
Santosh
Kukalkar,
Co-convener,
Cacra unit
Copy :
1. Chief
Minister, Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
2. OSD
to Deputy Chief Minister, Secretariat, Goa
3. Leader
of the Opposition, Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
4. Minister
of Fisheries, Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
5. Minister
for Science and Technology, Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
6. Director
General of Police, Panjim, Goa
7. Superintendent
of Police (Coastal Security), Panjim, Goa
8. Chief
Secretary, Secretariat, Goa
9. Captain
of Ports, Panjim, Goa
10. Secretary
(Fisheries), Secretariat, Porvorim, Goa
11. Joint
Secretary (Home)
12. Collector
(North Goa), Panjim
13. Deputy
Collector & S.D.O (Tiswadi)
14. M.L.A,
Taleigao Constituency
15. M.L.A,
Santa Cruz Constituency
16. M.L.A,
St. Andre Constituency
17. Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott
(GRE), Cansaulim, Goa
18. Being
Bhahujan c/o Ashwinkumar Naik, Raia, Goa tel: 9822177158
19. Director,
ICAR – ICAR Research Complex for Goa, Ela, Old Goa
20. Director,
National Institute of Oceanography, Dona Paula, Goa
21. Director,
Tribal Research Centre, Baddem, Khotigaon, Canacona, Goa Tel: 9822177158
22. Dr.
Baban Ingole, Professor& Chief Scientist, Biological Oceanography, NIO, Dona
Paula