Rubiya Shaikh – Panaji
Daijiworld Media Network - Panaji (GA)
Panaji, Sep 12: Fish continues to be dearer in the state market as trawlers are off the sea due to heavy rains.
"The trawlers are anchored on the jetty as sea is rough. No one is in the mood to risk their trawler to such gusty wind," Sitakant Parab, chairman, Mandovi Fishermen marketing Cooperative Society, a body representing 300 trawlers at Malim jetty across Panaji, stated.
The trawler owners have faced hard time after Ganesh Chaturthi festival when heavy rains started lashing the Konkan coast after a dry spell of a fortnight.
A trawler sank off Miramar coast this week while another was pulled out from a distress after both of them hit a sand bar created due to monsoons.
"We expected the fishing activity to resume at a regular pace after one and half month-old ban on fishing was lifted on July 31. But thereafter except for few days, we have not been able to venture in the sea," Parab said.
The western coast observes fishing ban during monsoons because it is breeding time for fish.
The exports have also come to halt as there is no catch. Goa is a major exporter of seafood to US, Japan and European countries. Fisheries department confirmed that the state exported 16,000 tones of fish of the total 87,000 tones catch.
"Whatever frozen fish is available is being sold in the market… There are few trawlers who dare to venture and risk. But they too return without a good catch," Parab said.
Goa has around 1,200 trawlers operating from its jetties while fishing is the second largest economic activity in the state.
"The traditional fishing with the non-mechanized boats contributes for hardly 25 per cent while mechanized has huge 75 per cent of the fishing share," officials from state fisheries department disclosed.
Fishing has been state's major economic activity with 42 villages spanning across eight talukas involving in the fishing business. Official figures revealed that of the total 30,000 people involved in this activity, 12,000 are active fishermen.