Traditional fisherfolk organisations oppose any reduction in monsoon fishing ban

Prakash Kamat
Panaji, May 26- The Goenchea Raponkarancho Ekvott(GRE)veand National Fishworkers Forum(NFF) has vehemently opposed any reduction in the period of the annual uniform coastal monsoon fishing ban.
General Secretary of GRE ,body working for the cause of traditional fisherfolk,Olencio Simoes stated that the Ministry of Fisheries ,Animal Husbandry and Dairying Department of  Fisheries order dated 25th May 2020 reducing the monsoon ban from 61 days to 47 days is a sinister plan to eliminate the fishermen of Goa and make Goa like Norway, Denmark, Oman, New Zealand, Australia, etc.,where fishing was banned for several years due to over-exploitation.
"Assistant commissioner Dr.Sanjay Pandey’s act is unjust,unethical and criminal in nature.It looks like he and his department have planned to displace 80,000 fishermen of Goa. Dr.Pandey has no idea whatsoever about the current situation of the wild fisheries in Goa," said Mr. Simoes who is also an office-bearer of NFF.
He said that the order states that the Ministry of Home affairs order dated 24th March 2020 to 10th April had banned fishing in EEZ and due to this the Government plans to compensate the fishing restriction due to covid-19 and therefore reduce the fishing ban to 47 days and compensate the loss incurred to fishing boats owners.
Mr. Simoes said that, ironically the reduction in fishing ban will not benefit the traditional fishermen nor fishing boat owners as their canoes and boats are small in size and cannot sail due to the stormy weather. But this shortened ban will only benefit deep sea trawlers like pursiners and LED light owners in Goa.
"The irony of the situation is that the pursiners and led light owners are the ones who did not abide by the Ministry of Home affairs order nor the Fisheries Department order of ban of fishing in EEZ nor in territorial waters of Goa so the question of loss doesn’t arise to them at all,"said Mr. Simoes.
Agnelo Rodrigues President of GRE stated that the objective of the fishing monsoon ban aims at conserving fish species during monsoon which is the spawning season for many varieties of fish, including shrimp.
Monsoon is the breeding season of nearly 300 species but all this will be altered or destroyed. Instead of increasing the fishing ban the Central Government has reduced the ban even after knowing that there is a severe drop in catch of wild fisheries in Goa and India.
"Therefore we demand that the State government and the Fisheries department works in the interest of the fishermen of Goa and not to reduce the monsoon ban to 47 days failing which we will be forced to take to streets,said GRE and NFF representatives.(eom)