Traditional fishermen's trade in Goa gets a boost during rainy season

Panaji: Traditional fishermen in Goa are seeing a surge in demand for their catch, as the coastal state's government has enforced a seasonal ban on mechanised fishing during the monsoon.

Goa Fisheries Minister Nilkant Halarnkar also said the state government has been implementing several schemes to help the traditional fishermen, who continue to venture out for fishing using non-mechanised methods like canoes.

The annual ban on fishing with mechanised trawlers came into force on June 1 and will continue till July 31, with the state government sealing all its seven fishing jetties.

Nauxi and Cacra villages in North Goa near Panaji are among the last hamlets preserving the traditional style of fishing.

Fisherman from Nauxi village, having 40-odd houses, start their day early by 4.30 am to 5 am to venture in the Arabian Sea with their canoes for a catch. They return by 7 am.

Villager Sanjay Pereira told PTI that though fishing with big boats is banned, the fishermen either manually pull the canoe or use eight- horsepower engines.

"During this time, a large number of fish come closer from the deep sea for breeding, due to which the ban is necessary," he said.

Fishermen do not venture in the deep sea owing to the weather warnings, including for cyclonic winds, he noted.

Pereira said the state government has been helping traditional fishermen the entire year.

"We have a scheme providing subsidy on petrol used for the out-boat motors," he said.

The earnings are high during this season. "If we catch 10 kg of fish, we get Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000," Pereira said.

These are the days when traditional fishermen net a huge stock of sardines which are in demand in the state, where fish curry and rice is a staple food for people, he said.

Traditionally, womenfolk from these villages sell the catch in Panaji market, located around 5 km away, while men are usually tasked with netting the fish.

Vishwanath Pareira, a traditional fisherman from Nauxim village, said the ban period brings in economic benefits for them.

"During this period, we get a good price for fish and the sea is exclusively open to us for fishing," he said.

"In the rainy season, big fish come closer and also lay eggs, due to which we get a good catch. During this period, we get a chance to earn more. After the mechanised fishing begins, the fish prices drop," he said.

Minister Halarnkar said the ban is imposed to allow fish breeding and also for the reason that the sea is rough during monsoon.

The state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, has been implementing several schemes to help the traditional farmers, he said.

"The government supports traditional fishermen round the year through various schemes including the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana," Halarnkar said.

The fishermen are provided support, right from netting a catch to marketing and also processing the stock, he said.

"The government supports different kind of fishing activities for farmers, who can fish in ponds and water bodies in hill areas," he added.

One cannot just sustain on fish netted from the sea, the minister noted.

"We have to promote aquaculture and biofloc methods to fulfil the market demand," he added.