Call to defend Sinquerim river

20 May 2025

To,

Captain of Ports,

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

To,

The Director of Fisheries,

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Director of Tourism,

Government of Goa,

Paryatan Bhavan,

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Call to cease all water sports/tourism canoes operations in Sinquerim river from June 01 to August 31

Sir/Madam,

It has been brought to our attention at National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF) through our affiliate Union in Goa namely All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) that over the past three years situation of Sinquerim river in Bardez is in precarious condition due to Captain of Ports unilateral decision to allow tourism water sports boats carrying tourists to operate during the months of June to August on the mouth of Sinquerim river.

From the mouth of Sinquerim river upto 2 kms inland 24 such boats with PNJ registration carry on their activities in the monsoon season which is also fishing ban period. Fishing ban was introduced with the intention to allow fish breeding in marine waters free from disturbance of high HP outboard engines and mechanised fishing. Allowing tourism canoes to operate in river with 40 HP outboard engine therefore is an open mockery of the very intention of fishing ban to ensure undisturbed fishing breeding season.

It has been brought to our attention by members of All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union who are actively involved in fishing in Sinquerim river that such plying of tourism canoes with permission from Captain of Ports has disrupted Fisheries of the river as 24 canoes operating with tourists on board with 40 HP outboard motor on the mouth of Sinquerim river past three years. Such activities prevents fish from entering mouth of Sinquerim river as that space is kept non-stop disrupted by tourism canoes with 40 HP ourboard engine.

For the past three years this has been the situation that led both the disruption of fish breeding in Sinquerim river as well as negatively affecting local fishing communities in Sinquerim, Candolim and Nerul. Tourism cannot take preference over fishing in Sinquerim river during monsoon fishing ban and we strongly object to such priorities.

Captain of Ports office therefore urged to identify canoes permitted to operate in Sinquerim river from June to August 2025 and withdraw whatever permission granted to those canoes.

Please ensure that no water sports canoes are allowed to operate in Sinquerim river from June to August henceforth.

We also wish to bring to your attention that India is signatory to Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (VG-SSF Guidelines) from 2013 onwards (https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/edfffbfc-81e5-4208-a36f-334ff81ac10f/content). This is an International law that Government of India has declared Implimentable in India through National Policy on Marine Fisheries 2017. According to section 5.5 of VG-SSF Guidelines "States should recognize the role of small-scale fishing communities and Indigenous people to restore, conserve, protect and co-manage local aquatic and coastal eco-systems."

So protection of Sinquerim river is priority for us and we are holding your office accountable to ensure that Sinquerim river Fisheries is protected.

The Sinquerim river is used for fishing purpose during monsoon by over 350 local fishers. However decision of Captain of Ports to grant permissions for canoes during monsoon ban past three years has been without consultation with fishing communities and against the interests of fishing communities locally.

According to section 1.2 of VG-SSF Guidelines it's right of fishers to participate in decision-making process and to assume responsibilities for sustainable use of fishery resources. Your office is urged to take note of this and act to ensure small-scale fisheries remains economically, socially and environmentally sustainable as per section 1.1 (d) of VG-SSF Guidelines.

You are also directed to section 3 (11) wherein Eco-system Approach to Fisheries (EAF) is adopted as an important guiding principle to ensure fishing based livelihoods  of small-scale fishing communities are protected.

Captain of Ports and Director of Tourim are urged to cease all operations of any canoes operating in Sinquerim river with for tourism purposes henceforth from June 01 to August 31 to ensure that fish breeding process during this period remains undisturbed.

Fisheries Department is urged to defend interes of the fishing communities and object to the tourism canoes with 40 HP outboard engines that creates massive disruptions underwater due to sound waves generated.

We hope that you will take note of this letter and ensure that no tourism canoes operate in Sinquerim river from June 01 to August 31 henceforth.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely,

Sebastiao Rodrigues

General Secretary,

National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF)

Objections to the Blue Economy assault on Goa’s rivers

Date: February 27, 2020

To,

The Captain of Ports,

Government of Goa,

Panjim, Goa

Subject: Objections to the Blue Economy assault on Goa’s rivers

Sir/Madam,

It has come to our attention from the reports in media that Goa Government through your office is in the process of launching major assault on Goa’s rivers by setting up Jetties in various parts of Goa without holding Public hearing under the pretext that they are floating Jetties. It has also come to our attention that your office is all set to launch another major assault on Goas rivers by initiating dredging of various rivers of Goa like Chapora, Mandovi, Sal, Cumbharjua and Zuari without holding Public Hearings for the same.

Because of irresponsible attitude of your office barges has already created siltation of Goa’s major rivers like Mandovi, Zuari and Cumbharjua and recorded in the minutes of Goa State Pollution Board first meeting held on October 05^th 1988 destroying precious marine ecology of these rivers and still remains in a same state. Your office carried on EIA of Chapora river but why is it not shared with Public?

Because of irresponsible attitude of your office six of Goa’s rivers are declared as National Waterways without consulting fishing communities of these rivers. Because of irresponsible attitude of your office Mandovi river is conquered and assaulted by off shore casinos denying valuable space for small scale fishers.

Dredging is a major assault on marine life and your office is not bothered about it as if no one in your office is eating fish nor your office is bothered about hundreds of peoples engaged in fishing activities in Goa’s rivers. Dredging for Shipping purposes are known to create several problems such as Air and water pollution, sea floor erosion, wave and current regime alterations, introduction of invasive species, underwater noise pollution, land use change, water front congestion, health and labour issues and number of other ecologically destabilizing practices, environmental injustice, unequal power relations and social conflicts. Dredging of Mandovi river by Champions island has damaged marine ecology as informed by local fishermen from Diwar island and several marine species has disappeared.

Your decisions to set up Jetties and dredging of rivers is in violation of Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) India is signatory to SSF Guidelines and has committed to their enforcement via Article 54 of the National Marine Fisheries Policy 2017. It is also violation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): 14 Life under water. Government widened roads to make them six land and destroyed several paddy field and people dependent upon the same. Now your office is determined to destroy livelihood of several more fisher people by destroying marine ecology to promote shipping industry. Shame!

Your are therefore requested to immediately respect Goa’s rivers and its marine ecology, stay away from launching assaults in the form of construction Jetties and Dredging of rivers for Shipping purpose in Goa. Destroying Goa’s rivers by your office will only aggravate situation of hunger that currently stands at 7000 deaths per day as per community kitchen case proceedings in Supreme Court of India.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

 Sd/-

Maggie Silveira

President, Goa State & National Council Member of National Platform of Small Scale Fish Workers (Inland)  

Law and Order problem due to Illegal Trawler fishing in Zuari river

Date: February 27, 2020

­For Urgent Action

To,

The Director,

Directorate of Fisheries,

Panjim, Goa

To,

Superintendent of Police (Coastal Security)

Panjim, Goa

Subject: Law and Order problem due to Illegal Trawler fishing in Zuari river

Madam/Sir,

Kindly attend to the ongoing rampant illegal trawler fishing in Zuari river from Sao Jacinto Island upto Siridao coast. This fishing using destructive fishing gears (trawl nets) has began on January 16, 2020 (Goa Opinion Poll Day and Feast of St. Joseph Vaz) during day and night. Several telephonic messages complaining against trawlers were conveyed at the Fisheries Control Room by many fishermen from Odxel, Cacra, Nauxim, Bambolim and Siridao.  Some calls were relayed to Coastal Security Police Station at Harbour for action by Fisheries department. However it has been observed that trawlers has continued to carry on illegal and destructive fishing within any respect to law and order. Yesterday afternoon (12.15 pm) over 16 trawlers and (05.30 pm) 18 trawlers was seen carrying on illegal fishing in Zuari from St. Jacinto Island upto Siridao-Agassaim destroying river bed as well as livelihood of small scale fishers of Zuari river.

Goa’s State laws are stringent against illegal and destructive fishing trawler practices within 5 kms from the coastline and inside rivers. However enforcement of these laws is absent or pathetic due to lack of commitment from your office even though your salaries are paid by Public. The irresponsibility from your office has led violation of Goa State fisheries Laws, violation of aims and objectives of Coastal Security Police, violation of Article 5.16 of Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines), violation of Article 6.18 of Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (CCRF). India is signatory to SSF Guidelines, CCRF and has committed to their enforcement via Articles 53 & 54 of the National Marine Fisheries Policy 2017. It is also violation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG): 14 Life under water. Your office has ignored these so far and it is a serious public concern and disastrous consequences in Zuari river.

This situation has led to the increasing public suspicions that Fisheries department and Coastal Security Police is actually promoting destructive fishing practices such as Trawling in Zuari River for the reasons best known to you. Fisheries department has even awarded those responsible for destructive trawling with LED lights during ‘Aqua Goa’ mega fish festival 2020 held on February 13^th-15^th at Panjim.

You are called upon to (1) carry on 24 hours surveillance of Zuari river from Odxel coast and permanently stop further illegalities by trawlers. (2) Assess damage done to marine ecology due to trawling in Zuari and recovers damages from trawler owners. (3) Compulsorily install GPS transponders on all trawlers in Goa so to make them visible online in real time at Global Fishing Watch. (4) Withdraw above mentioned award given to those engage in destructive fishing.

Thanking you,

Yours sincerely,

 Sd/-

Maggie Silveira

President, Goa State & National Council Member of National Platform of Small Scale Fish Workers (Inland)

BMM call for implementation of Voluntary Guidelines for Small Scale Fisheries

(Picture of the Press Conference addressed by Maggie Silveira, President, Bharat Mukti Morcha, Goa Unit accompanied by Kalpana Divkar, Parvati Narvekar, Roque Menezes, Socorro Braganza and Sebastiao Rodrigues) 

Bharat Mukti Morcha (BMM) calls for immediate implementation of ‘Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication’ (SSF Guidelines) in the State of Goa. SSF Guidelines were adopted formally by 143 member states of the United Nations including India in 2014 views those involved in small scale fishing communities all over the world with crucial role to restore, conserve, protect and co-manage local aquatic and Coastal Ecosystems (Para 5.5). Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) published these SSF Guidelines in 2015 advocates ecosystem approach towards Fisheries (Para 10.4).  Government of India included these SSF Guidelines in National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017 under Article 54 making SSF Guidelines applicable all over India. Goa is lacking in implementation.

BMM calls upon Government of Goa to implement the SSF Guidelines on urgency basis as Goa’s coast, rivers, inland fisheries are being battered badly and mismanaged deliberately thereby threatening very existence of fishing as livelihood option in near future. Due to lack of sensitivity our coast are getting squeezed and rivers are being grabbed due to commercial interests. 

SSF Guidelines has significant ingredients to turn the situation around in several aspects like secure tenure right to access to Sea and rivers (Para 5.1) that are often threatened due to tourism, casinos, marinas etc, harmonization of policies related to health of marine and inland water bodies involved in fisheries and agriculture (Para 10.3) that are threatened due to breach of bunds on Mandovi river banks leading to ingress of water and flooding of paddy fields in Divar and Vanxim islands, and several other parts of Goa, Calling of long term vision for sustainable small-scale fisheries (Para 10.4) that we lack in Goa as visible from declaration of Goa’s six rivers as National Waterways at the instance of mining, tourism and gambling industry. 

SSF Guidelines calls for defense of Human Rights of vulnerable and marginalized people and long term vision and policy framework for SSF(10.4); several fishing villages are erased and rendered invisible from the coastal management map that has been withdrawn last week by GCZMA demonstrates magnitude of attack on Goa’s Coast. SSF Guidelines seeks to address issue of Pollution, Coastal erosion and destruction of coastal habitats due to human inducted non-fisheries related factors (Para 9.3); Fishing in Mandovi has been disrupted due take over of river mouth by Gambling cartels for off-shore casinos, construction of three bridges including latest one without valid marine EIA has left huge amount of debris on river bed, cutting down of mangroves inside the river and installation of tourism activities at Divar Island has eroded significant fishing spaces for local fisher people, sand mining method allied by canoes destroys marine life, Water sports in Goa’s several rivers like Zuari, Mandovi and Chapora has negative impacts on fishing communities, Proposed dredging of Mandovi, Zuari etc under the pretext of passenger ferries will add further stress on rivers and fishing communities, Capital dredging of rivers is detrimental to fishing but has been pushed on by mining lobby from 2010. 

Pollution created by mining as well as mining barges is well recorded in the very first minutes of Goa State Pollution Control Board in 1988 as available in their website. SSF Guidelines calls for establishment and application of monitoring, control and surveillance suitable for SSF; there is need to set up marine radar to monitor illegal fishing in Zuari river by use of purse seine, trawl nets and other type of illegal fishing.

BMM calls upon Captain of Ports, Directorate of Fisheries, Goa State Pollution Control Board, Department of Tourism and Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority to integrate SSF Guidelines in coastal management on urgent basis. Coastal management can be achieved by making fishing communities visible by recognition and respect to the livelihood practices and food security mechanisms along with comprehensive defense of coast and river ecology.