NHT

Panaji, Jun 15: The fishing ban period for Goa begins from June 15, in view of the spawning period of aquatic life and would continue till July 31.

The four main fishing jetties in the state at Malim, Chapora, Cutbona and Vasco would be sealed during the period and the diesel pumps at these jetties kept closed.

Most of the fishing trawlers, during the off season will be anchored at the Malim jetty in the North and Cutbona jetty in the South. The marine police as well as the Coast Guards would be maintaining vigilance over the Goan coastal waters to ensure implementation of the fishing ban.

As per the Supreme Court decision, which governs the fishing ban in various states, mechanised boats, trawlers, and canoes fitted with motors are banned from fishing during the particular period. Therefore, the vessels with capacity of 10 HP or more would have to be kept idle till July 31. Incidentally, there is a relaxation for those vessels with capacity of motors less than 10 HP.

There are around 2,500 fishing trawlers in the state, out of which 1,110 have been registered, while only 850 are operational. In addition, around 2,500 canoes have been registered with the department of fishing, of which approximately 1,000 canoes have been fitted with motors of capacity less than 10 HP. It was also informed that most of the workers on the fishing trawlers operating from Goan jetties are the natives of states like Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, and Kerala.

It would be recalled that most of the fishing trawlers in the state, which venture into the deep sea have already stopped their fishing trips since May 19, when cyclone Laila hit the Eastern coast of the country. The decision came out of the fear of death of as many as 68 fishermen, who went missing after being trapped in cyclone Phyan during November 2009. Cyclone Phyan was about 250 km West of Goa and had passed through the Arabian Sea.

The absence of sea fish during the off season will force the fish-loving population of the state to depend on the stored dry fish, sweet water fish, chicken, animal meat and eggs. The fish from across the state from places like Karwar will also be available during the period.

The statistics inform that during the year 2009, Goa witnessed fish production of around 80,000 tonne, while it was 88,000 tonne during the year 2008.