A month ago Goa witnessed State Fisheries Minister roaring against illegal fishing in territorial waters by bull-trawling using LED lights despite crackdown by Goa Bench of Bombay High Court. Minister Nilkant Halarnkar declared in the Assembly as well as outside the Assembly that drone surveillance will be introduced to combat the illegal fishing in Arabian Sea.
One month later today there are reports of illegal fishing in the entire coast of Goa by Trawlers and mini purse seiners, plundering in day time as well as at night. Clues of such illegalities has come from coasts of Cavelosim, Benaulim, Candolim, Calangute, Morjim and even inside Zuari river stretch from Dona Paula to Siridao.
Minister Nilkant Halarnkar's roars are nowhere to be heard anymore, not even light whispers.
Intention of Goa Fisheries department to activate its enforcement wing is not evident at all. Fisheries Patrolling boat is kept breakdown state for more than years. People taken on job to work on this boat are being paid monthly even though boat have not ventured in waters for full year.
People who complain to Fisheries Control room are reported to those engaged in illegal fishing and subjected to threats over phone calls.
Illegal trawling and illegal purse shining within 5 kms specified area on Goa shore has become far too frequent sunaling cancerous growth of corruption within Fisheries department due to various reasons. Trawling as well as purse seine are both destructive fishing gears damaging marine ecology.
Forget the drones, there is not even a patrol boat. Operation of Fisheries Minister in this context is completely fishy that smells of fixings and compromise leading to betrayal of small scale fishers in Goa.
It in this context it is so very important to stand up and never to let this happen new normal. Time to combat with might.
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