Please email this to Goa Fisheries Department with or without your additional comments at email : [email protected]
Why illegal purse seine fishing in Zuari shot up when Nilkhant Halarnkar took over as Fisheries Minister? Why Secretary (Fisheries) and Director of Fisheries failed to end illegal purse seine fishing in Zuari? Why Chief Minister allows break down of law and order chronic proportions? May 01, 2022 Today was disastrous day for Goa Fisheries. Over 30 purse seine fishing boats carried on illegal fishing from 5.00 am to 11.00 am in Zuari river from Dona Paula to Odxel coast. Fisheries department control room when contacted informed that their patrol boat is not active as the one who operates it the boshun is absent on duty. Purse seine fishing nets are banned from use 5 kms from the shore yet Fisheries department makes it conducive to violate its own laws and directives in numerous ways. Poor enforcement deliberately resorted. Legal size of fishing nets for gill nets is 24 and 22 mm mesh size. Banned purse seine fishing nets use nets with me size as small as 8 mm to 12 mm destroying fish life at the breeding site itself. In 2016 Director of Fisheries banned fishing within 5 kms using purse seine net on fishing vessel. Ban faced routine violations. This destroyed sustainability of Zuari river fisheries that is ably suitable for Gillnets of legally approved mesh size as per scientific studies carried out at ICAR Old Goa. Yesterday April 30, 2022 at 11.30 am it was the same story too. Illegal fishing went on unhindered. Fisheries Patrol boat was nowhere to be seen while river was being plundered away by illegal purse seiners from Nerul and Vasco, the two locations from where illegal purse seine fishing in Zuari goes on with clandestine nexus with fisheries department. Illegal purse seine fishing by around eight boats was on in Zuari river just off shore Odxel village at 9.30 am on April 29, 2022. Fisheries department patrol boat was close by towards Dona Paula. Illegal fishing was carried on under the supervision of Fisheries department patrol boat. How much bribe involved? April 26, 2022 Which Politicians are backing illegal purse seine fishing in Zuari? Why Director of Fisheries Shamila Monteiro supports illegal purse seine fishing in Zuari? Why elected MLAs maintain silence over illegal purse sine fishing in Zuari inspite of being briefed up? All Goa Small Scale Responsible Fisheries Union condemns irresponsible governance of Fisheries in Goa. There is massive illegal purse seine fishing going on in Zuari river daily between 5.00 am to 9.00 am and 5.00 pm to 9.00 pm as per eye witnesses. Those indulging in illegal fishing are from Nerul bardez and from Vasco with full backing of the Goa Fisheries administration headed by the Director who has notorious record for criminal nexus and was even suspended for the same in the 2017 by then Fisheries Minister Vinod Palyenkar, historical step to protect Goa Fisheries. The illegal fishing by purse seine boats illegal in Zuari river triggers fish famines and and deprives gillnet traditional fishers of their livelihood. Illegal purse seine fishing in Zuari is led audaciously by the same person who was caught in the act on March 10, 2022 and let go without penalty possibly due to political pressure from some quarters. Many of these fishing boats enter Zuari river with banned colour codes of green, Yello and black. The prescribed colour for fishing boat is white with black strip. Yet Fisheries department doesn't act for reasons of hidden agenda to destroy livelihood of gillnet fishers. All the illegal purse seine fishers are known to the Fisheries department and that's reason they are given protection. When Fisheries control room is phoned to complaint about the illegality in Zuari they make sure that their boat doesn't reach on the scene till well after illegal purse seine fishers go away. Fishers have informed about the collapse of law and order situation in Zuari to the Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar but he hasn't shown courage to stand up for truth and Justice. Santa Cruz MLA Rudolpho Fernandes too has been briefed but pro-active action is yet to be seen from him. Similarly St. Andre MLA Viresh Borkar too has been informed but there is no information if he has raised the issue with the Government. Taleigao MLA Jennifer Monserrate too has been approached and petitioned. No MLA and Political Party has shown any commitment so far to crackdown on illegal purse seine in Zuari river. This is very sad and disturbing. This situation must reverse and people have to get actively involved to understand and defend rivers and sea. Small Scale Fishing Communities are the first stewards to align with. April 06, 2022 Illegal purse seine fishing went on from 5.00 pm to 7.00 pm. Fisheries control room was contacted. Fisheries control room relayed names of those complaining along with phone numbers to the offenders. Offenders from Vasco then called up threatening gillnets fishers from Cacra, etc. Penalty for illegal purse seine fishing is Rs. 100/- for past several decades It doesn't act as deterence. Marine ecology and livelihood of gillnet small scale fishing communities suffer. There is urgent need for Fisheries department, Government of Goa and more importantly people of Goa to put their act to stop purse seine illegal fishing in zuari. If it's not done then can swing into dangerous unpredictable consequences when hunger would take macro proportions affecting not one the fishers and their families but wider society. Why should Goa's Fisheries be in the hands of such a pathetic leadership commitef for destruction? Surely Goa deserves better than those at the helm of Goa's Fisheries department. Act now to change! Shaila D'mello President Laximan Mangueshkar Secretary
