Fishing ban set to kick in India from June 15 2011 ~ LAWOK LEPAS

Fishing ban set to kick in India from June 15 2011

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PANAJI: The 45-day monsoon fishing ban will come into force along the entire western coast of India from June 15. It will last till July 31. Goa fisheries director S C Verenkar told TOI that all the four major fishing jetties in Goa — Chapora, Malim, Cutbona and Vasco — will be sealed, thus grounding about 850 fishing trawlers across the state.

Fuel pumps at the jetties will also be sealed and oil companies have been asked not to supply diesel to these pumps during the period. Verenkar said the coastal police has been asked to keep vigil on major fish landing centres in Goa and that the coast guard has also been requested to assist in the enforcement of the ban. The fishing ban applies to all mechanized fishing vessels or trawlers and also to canoes fitted with outboard motors of over 10 horsepower.

Canoes fitted with motors having 10 horsepower or less and the traditional "ramponn" operators will not be included in the ban. Although there are 1,100 trawlers registered with the fisheries department in Goa, only about 850 fishing trawlers are functional. In addition, there are about 2,000 canoes of which about 1,000 are fitted with outboard motors below 10 horsepower. The others are non-motorized.

The purpose of the ban is two-fold. It helps conserve fish during their breeding period and also helps to protect the lives of fishermen during the monsoons when the seas tend to get rough. When asked about the fishing scenario in Goa, Verenkar said it was not too encouraging.

The fish production in Goa from January to December 2009 had slipped to 80,000 tons in comparison to the 88,000 tons production during the same period in the previous year. No study has been done to explain the reduction, he said.

Verenkar also said that the government is on the verge of finalizing a consultant for the development and upgrading of the four major landing centres in Goa.

The chosen consultant will prepare and submit to the government the techno-economic feasibility report, the detailed project report and the environmental impact assessment study for the four fishing jetties in Goa.