Fishing ban extended till 31 July
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 22 May 2013 17:53 IST
The government has finally decided to ban fishing for 61 days – from 1 June to 31 July.
The ban would apply to both – the mechanized and motorized fishing boats – but not the traditional fishing with rampon, katali etc.
Chief minister Manohar Parrikar had announced in his budget speech that the ban would be now extended for 75 days – from 1 June to 15 August.
However, he has now revised his own decision, reducing it by 15 days, as trawler owners do not want to miss the golden period of solar prawns – from the first week of August.
“The income generated with solar prawns in August covers their whole fishing season”, said Parrikar.
The cabinet decision taken today however increases the fishing ban period from 45 to 61 days, which is 16 more days than in the past.
“I will tackle the issue of 75 days separately”, he said, without elaborating how.
In order to monitor that no other fishing trawler from neighbouring states enter Goan waters in the Arabian sea, the government would take help of the Navy and the Coast Guard, he said.
No consensus however is still reached among all the coastal states to have a common period of fishing ban.
This benefits the neighbouring states to intrude in the sea waters where the ban period prolongs.
Trawlers of Maharashtra and Karnataka always intrude in Goan waters when Goa ban period is lengthier than their ban period.
However, Goa government has decided to firmly implement 61-day fishing ban period since fishing during breeding period has severely affected the volume of fish catch.
