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

Harrasment to Fishers at Campal beach

 09/06/2025

To,

The Director,

Department of Tourism,

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Your letter dated May 26, 2025 inviting for meeting on June 03, 2025

Sir,

We received your letter reference no.7/8(361) Complain and Griviences/2025/1164 dated 26/05/2025 with subject of Issue raised by All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union about Harrasment and Loss of Access for Fishers at campal Beach, Panjim. Letter invited us for the meeting to be held on June 03, 2025 at your office on 2nd floor, Paryatan Bhavan, Patto, Panaji, Goa.

We were not able to participate in the above meeting as this letter signed by Deputy Director of Tourism on behalf of Department of Tourism and served on us through Indian Post reached us one day after late on June 04, 2025.

We do not understand if this was done deliberately from your office or that it was due to inefficient functioning of the Indian Post. For whatever may be the truth we got excluded from the meeting and we are very upset about it.

You are kindly requested to call meeting afresh with invitation to us well on advance.

Awaiting your initiative.

Thanking you.

Yours sincerely,

Shaila D'mello

President

Laximan Mangueshkar

Secretary

AGSSRFU letter on problems faced by small-scale fishers at Campal Beach

30.04.2025

To,

Director of Fisheries,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Captain of Ports,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Director of Tourism, 

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Commisioner,

Corporation of City of Panjim,

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Seeking solutions to problems faced by small-scale fishers at Campal Beach, Panjim

Sir/Madam,

It has been brought to our urgent attention by our members that their canoes stationed at Campal are facing various kinds of impediments from Directorate of Tourism, Forest Department and CCP combine. These local fishers who undertake fishing in Mandovi river are told from April 06, 2025 by various officials of these departments that their canoes looks dirty and they must not dock their canoes at the present venue.

What is dirty and beautiful is based on subjective bias of the beholder. All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) strongly objects to referring Goa's traditional fishing occupation and their canoes as "dirty".

Parking of several casino vessels in the middle of Mandovi river has already drastically reduced fishing spaces for small scale fishers of campal Beach and other villages on Mandovi riparian coast past few decades. These casino vessels are truly Monstrosities of Mandovi that are allowed to flourish as a strategy to disrupt fishing in Mandovi river.

Further we wish to revive the memory that traditional canoes parking spaces at Campal Beach has been progressively encroached upon by Forest department by undertaking plantations of Cajurina and Mangroves, and by other State Authorities by constructing cycle track on campal Beach to benefit tourism that has blocked canoe parking spaces already and were shifted to its present site.

AGSSRFU considers this as sustained aggression against Goa's traditional fishing occupation and calls upon urgent attention of your office to do away with above cited impediments to fishing communities with immediate effect to enable fishers to carry their occupation without any trouble from CCP, Tourism Department, and Forest Department. 

AGSSRFU reserves right to undertake all the necessary actions within the framework of existing law in case your office fails to protects interests of fishing communities at Campal Beach.

We hope that you will act to defence Goa's fishing based occupations and no longer continue as harbingers of hatred against campal fishers referring to them in violent narrative framework as "dirty". We reject this narrative totally and completely and you are requested to change your approach towards fishing communities and be respectful and treat us with respect that we deserve for our hard work to earn our livelihoods and support our families.

Thanking You.

Yours Truly,

Shaila D'mello 

President,

AGSSRFU 

Laximan Mangueshkar, 

Secretary,

AGSSRFU

Impediments created for fishing canoes at Campal, Panaji

22.04.2025

To,

Director of Fisheries,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Captain of Ports,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Principal Chief Conservator of Forest,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Director of Tourism, 

Government of Goa,

Panaji, Goa

To,

Commisioner,

Corporation of City of Panjim,

Panaji, Goa

Subject: Impediments created for fishing canoes at Campal, Panaji

Sir/Madam,

It has been brought to our urgent attention by our afflitatiate fishing Union in Goa namely All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union (AGSSRFU) that its members with fishing canoes stationed at Campal are facing various kinds of impediments from Directorate of Tourism, Forest Department and CCP combine. These local fishers who undertake fishing in Mandovi river are told from April 06, 2025 by various officials of these departments that their cannoes looks dirty and they must not dock their canoes at the present venue.

What is dirty and beautiful is based on subjective bias of the beholder. National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers (NFSF) strongly objects to referring Goa's traditional fishing occupation and their canoes as "dirty".

Moreover we wish to revive the memory that traditional canoe parking spaces at Campal Beach has been progressively encroached upon by Forest department by undertaking plantations of Cajurina and Mangroves. 

NFSF considers this as sustained aggression against Goa's traditional fishing occupation and calls upon your urgent attention to do away with above cited impediments to fishing communities with immediate effect to enable fishers to carry their occupation without any trouble from CCP, Tourism Department, and Forest Department. 

Thanking You.

Yours Truly,

Sebastiao Rodrigues

General Secretary

National Federation of Small-Scale Fishworkers  (NFSF)