Get the abandoned fishing net away from Campal beach!

15 December 2025

To,

Mayor,

Corporation of the City of Panjim,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Commisioner,

Corporation of the City of Panjim,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Member Secretary,

Goa Coastal Zone Management Authority (GCZMA), Panaji, Goa

To,

Collector (North Goa),

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Request for appointment to discuss possibilities of collaboration on issues of clearing decades old huge abandoned fishing net at Campal beach sands

Sir/Madam,

All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) is concerned about huge decade old abandoned purse seine fishing net at Campal beach, Panjim. Fishing net which is composed of non-biodegradable textures was abandoned few decades ago on the beach. The fishing net remained buried in sand for many years till stoned structure was constructed to create concrete space on beach. This development led to erosion of coastal sand of Campal beach making fishing net visible.

Recently on 16 October 2025 during joint meeting between AGSSRFU, Coastal Security Police and Director of Fisheries this issue was discussed and recorded in meeting minutes that the said fishing net be moved away and disposed off. AGSSRFU cannot do it alone as it requires use of machinery to reclaim fishing net buried deeper at some depth.

We write to seek your collaboration to assist us to get this done as the task would require digging on beach to get the fishing net out of sand. 

We would be glad to hear from you.

Counting on your support.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely, 

Shaila D'mello 

President

Laximan Mangueshkar 

Secretary

Copy to:

1. Director of Fisheries, Government of Goa, Panaji, Goa

2. Director, One Earth Foundation, Panjim, Goa

Night-time Hooliganism On Beach Stretch From Dona Paula To Siridao

Date 17th September 2024

To,

Secretary (Home),

Secretariat, 

Porvorim,

Goa

To,

The Director,

Directorate of Fisheries, 

Panaji, Goa,

To,

Superitendent of Police, 

Coastal Security,

Panaji, Goa

Sub: Night-time hooliganism on beach stretch from Dona Paula to Siridao

Sir/Madam,

All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) are obliged to bring to your urgent attention night time hooliganism on beaches on Zuari river coast from Dona Paula to Siridao beach. People visit on these beaches - often with vehicles without number plates - after 11.00 pm and spend time on beaches till morning. Sometimes males and females are together as couples. Sometimes groups of males descend on beaches with alcohol bottles. After drinking they routinely break glass bottles on beaches and close to fishing canoes creating dangerous situation for fishers. Often there are cases of narcotics consumption too. 

Please pay urgent attention to this for the sake of safety of fishing operations by canoes on a these beaches due to broken glass pieces every night.

Awaiting your response. 

Thanking You,

Yours sincerely, 

Shaila D'mello

President

Laximan Mangueshkar

Secretary

Objections to the proposal to grant Blue Flag notification to Miramar beach, Panjim, Goa

To,

R. Menaka,

Collector (North Goa)

Panjim, Goa

17:09:2019

Subject: Objections to the proposal to grant Blue Flag notification to Miramar beach, Panjim, Goa.

Dear Madam,

We have come to know from media that you convened stakeholders meeting regarding proposal of the Indian Minister of Environment and Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) to declare around 12 beaches of India from Blue Flag certification; one of them being Goa's Miramar beach in Panjim. We have read the notification (http://www.indiaenvironmentportal.org.in/files/file/NOTIFICATION-FOR-BLUE-FLAG-CERTIFICATION.pdf) of the central government in this regard and are shocked to note that variety of construction and other interference will be allowed on all these beaches.

We write to object this proposal of Blue Flag certification as in reality it is a red flag of danger and insecurity to the several hundred fishers residing near the beach and  use this beach for fish landing purpose as well as use Mandovi river, Arabian Sea as well as Zuari river for small scale fishing purpose.

This notification is totally in violation of SSF guidelines (http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4356en.pdf) that India signed in 2014 in order to provide security to small scale fishers in India. Further this notification is also against  National Policy on Marine Fisheries, 2017 (http://dadf.gov.in/sites/default/filess/National%20Policy%20on%20Marine%20Fisheries%202017_0.pdf) that has pledged to implement the SSF Guidelines through Article 54.

This notification of Blue Flag notification is also in violation of  NATIONAL INLAND FISHERIES AND AQUACULTURE POLICY 2019 (http://nfdb.gov.in/PDF/Draft%20National%20Inland%20Fisheries%20&%20Aquaculture%20Policy%20(NIFAP).pdf) that pledges to implement SSF Guidelines via article 3.3.1.10.

It is indeed a matter of great concern to us to note that Goa Government has not taken any steps to set up high powered committee to over see the strategy to implement SSF Guidelines to protect fishing, fishers and good health of Rivers, Seas and all other water bodies used for fishing but instead are going about pushing projects like Blue Flag certification in order to give spaces to tourism at the cost of livelihood of fishing communities. This is wrong step and must be stopped. Fishing communities are already facing several challenges and hardships due to non-implementation of monitoring mechanism contained in SSF guidelines (https://sandrp.in/2019/05/02/surest-way-to-defeat-solastalgia-zuari-river-fishing-community/)

There is no place for projects like Blue Flag certification in SSF guidelines. Only place is for community based tourism with zero role to corporate handling of tourism. Hence we write to you to convey to the Indian Ministry of Environment and Forest and Climate Change to drop the case of Miramar Beach in order to keep small scale fishers without hardships due to this blue grab.

SSF Guidelines calls for integral management of coast involving fishing communities. In this regard we commend you for calling the meeting on September 14, 2019 at Goa Science Center, Panjim. However we request you to call for larger meeting with advanced notice of at least 15 days so that people can be informed properly and called for the hearing.

We also would like to inform you that even Denmark from where Blue Flag standards are set has been the signatory to SSF guidelines and in order to  conserve, protect and improve the quality of environment and preventing, controlling and abating environmental pollution SSF Guidelines must be enforced and implemented all over Goa and India too. This will ensure that fishers of the coast are not evicted or their tenure rights in fishing are not trampled upon. For this purpose of enforcing SSF guidelines we pledge our support and co-operation whole heatedly.

Thanking you,

Sd/-

Yours sincerely,

Sebastiao Rodrigues

(Mobile: 9923336347)

Member, National Council, National Platform for Small Scale Fish Workers (Inland),

Convener, Goa State, Bharat Mukti Morcha 

Vice-President, Dialogue, Empathic Engagement & Peacebuilding (DEEP) Network - India

Researcher, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, BITS Pilani, Goa Campus, Goa.