Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji
Panaji, Jul 24: Goa's iconic mackerel (bangdo) is becoming increasingly scarce in local waters, with official figures revealing a consistent three-year decline in its catch. As per data tabled in the Legislative Assembly by the Fisheries Department, mackerel landings dropped from 55,843 tonnes in 2022–23 to 50,213 tonnes in 2023–24, and further down to just 43,728 tonnes in 2024–25.
The declining trend isn’t limited to mackerels. Other popular species like catfish (sangot), sharks (mori), pomfrets (paplet) and crabs (kurlio) also recorded lower catch volumes in the 2024–25 financial year. Catfish dropped to 125 tonnes, down from 178 tonnes the previous year, while the shark haul was nearly halved, falling to 223 tonnes from 442 tonnes. Pomfret landings slipped to 496 tonnes, and crab catch marginally declined to 1,455 tonnes from the previous year’s 1,620 tonnes.
However, the state saw a sharp rise in prawn (sungtam) catches, which reached 10,071 tonnes in 2024–25 — the highest in the last three years. By comparison, only 6,810 tonnes and 6,549 tonnes were recorded in 2022–23 and 2023–24 respectively.
Seer fish (viswan) also surged in numbers, more than doubling to 2,797 tonnes, up from 1,796 tonnes in 2023–24 and 1,594 tonnes the year before. Another Goan staple, oil sardines (tarle), showed a healthy increase, rising from 18,022 tonnes to 20,705 tonnes in 2024–25.
Other marine species such as cuttlefish (manki), tunas, ribbon fish, and soles (lepo) showed mixed trends. Overall, Goa's total marine fish production stood at 1,28,378 tonnes, marginally higher than the 1,26,990 tonnes recorded in 2023–24, but still trailing behind 2022–23’s 1,33,970 tonnes.
Inland fish production saw a modest increase, reaching 9,065 tonnes, up from 8,859 tonnes in the previous year. While species like inland prawns, mullets (shevto), and anchovies held steady or improved, catches of black water clams (kubye) and oysters (kalwam) saw a downward shift.
Responding to an unstarred question by Leader of Opposition Yuri Alemao, Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar informed the House that the department does not maintain daily data on fish imported from other states. However, marine exports through the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) are ongoing and may include imported fish meant for re-export.
In a positive step, the government has identified 125 shellfish breeding zones across Goa, developed in consultation with local fishermen — a move expected to support marine biodiversity and sustain livelihoods in the long term.