Rampant illegal mechanised fishing using trawlers and purse seiners within specified area of 5 kms

 To,

Director of Fisheries,

Government of Goa, 

Panaji, Goa

To,

Superitendent of Police, 

Coastal Security, 

Panaji, Goa

To,

Captain of Ports,

Government of Goa, 

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Rampant illegal mechanised fishing using trawlers and purse seiners within specified area of 5 kms

Madam/ Sir,

All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) sends this letter to inform you that there is daily illegal fishing through trawlers and purse seiners in Zuari river mouth very close to Dona Paula Jetty 29.08.2025, 30.08.2025, 31.08.2025, 01.09.2025 and 02.09.2025. Mostly these activities of illegal fishing was carried on at night time. On 02.09.2025 however illegal trawling and purse seine fishing was carried on both in morning at around 07.00 am and at night from 10.00 pm onwards. We noticed in case of night illegal fishing that within few minutes after registering complaints at Fisheries Control room navigation lights mysteriously goes off and illegal fishing done in dark of night. We wonder why this happens but not too difficult to guess the nature of nexus. This pose serios threats to marine traffic in waters too.

On 01.09.2025 trawlers were seen carrying on fishing very close - 200 metets to the shore at Cavelosim, South Goa in the morning from 8.00 am to 9.30 am.

Illegal mechanised fishing has taken on epidemic proportion spreading cancerous to the Goa shores posing major threats to livelihood and marine ecology besides being contempt of directions of Bombay High Court in writ petition no. 370 of 2024.

You are requested to act on this immediately and station patrol boats at Dona Paula Jetty and at Cavelosim beach.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely, 

Shaila D'mello 

President, AGSSRFU

Laximan Mangueshkar

Secretary, AGSSRFU