Despite repeated appeals to the State Fisheries Department, the Union Fisheries Ministry, and even petitions before the High Court, large-scale trawlers continue to brazenly deploy LED lights unabated.
State Fisheries officials and coastal police maintain they are actively enforcing regulations and impounding errant vessels and have even submitted this to the High Court.
However, the traditional fishermen’s unions allege that this problem still persists despite there being a ban on LED lighting for fishing activities. They have further alleged that various other forms of illegal fishing are also taking place and that complaints about this matter have already been filed.
Marine conservation experts have echoed concerns about potential ecosystem damage and depleted fish stocks due to the insensitive commercial fishing practices. They warn that a lack of transparency and muddled governance could exacerbate depletion of Goa’s marine wealth.
In fact, a High Court-directed inspection report by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has exposed rampant and almost criminal violations by fishing vessels at Cutbona, Malim and Vasco.
During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by the Goa Foundation seeking for ban on LED fishing in deep sea citing environmental concerns, the Goa Foundation which received a copy of the GSL report, submitted that of the 16 fishing boats inspected across three fishing jetties, 14 were found equipped with generator sets and LED lights. The inspection report is dated January 24, 2024, submitted by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL).
The report is shocking and underlines how Goa’s fishing sector has been hijacked by illegal LED-laden vessels, who are destroying our fish catch and knocking traditional fisher folk out of business, under the watch of the Fisheries Department.
These are mechanised vessels whose activities harm traditional fishermen who have been fighting to stop the illegal activity.
Fourteen of the 16 vessels inspected had the banned LED lights. These same vessels had DG sets, belying the excuse that was given by such vessels that DG sets were needed for other activities like powering their boats. With 15 of the 16 boats having DG sets, it is a clear indication that these were used to power LED lights.
As concerns escalate amongst the traditional artisanal fishing communities, calls are mounting for decisive action and sustainable policies to prevent irreversible damage.
This is a vital issue that deals with sons of the soil and essentially people who’ve been in the waters of Goa for generations together, carrying out one of Goa's most traditional occupations – fishing.
They are not just traditional fishermen, but they are also brand ambassadors of Goan identity. They are people who took to fishing not generally as a profession but as a way of life and now it is under threat, which includes their lives and livelihoods, their way of living and the independence they had to not only feed themselves, but feed the society as a whole.
When these sons of the soil, the traditional dwellers of Goa, get affected because of massive trawlers of big fishermen coming into Goa’s waters and violating all rules and regulations with regard to fishing with powerful LED lights, it is time to get worried.
This intrusion is not just destroying the fish, its eggs and everything in between, but also cutting at the very
core of Goa’s traditional existence, which is fishing.
About two-and-a-half years ago, during the course of our reportage on this issue, we met Sudhakar Vitthal Joshi, who is a traditional fisherman and Vice President of the Assolna, Velim, Chinchinim, Betul Traditional Fishermen Association.
The reason he’s being mentioned here is because he said something, which is very striking even now. He said the relationship between the river and the communities is symbiotic. It is something that the fish trader will never know. They are just sharks of a different kind. They will push in more trawlers with big nets and LED lights.
LED fishing is banned but nobody stops them. Such illegal fishing is going on in Goa destroying our fish and the livelihoods of traditional fishermen. There's a big fight going on legally and on the ground, we want to reflect that fight. On May 10, 2016, the Department of Fisheries issued an order prohibiting fishing using LED lights in the State.
The Union government issued an order on November 10, 2017, prohibiting LED lights in the entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), beyond the territorial waters, which covers 200 nautical miles and the court has been hearing the matter.
In an absolute mockery of the ban on the use of LED lights on fishing vessels, a court-directed inspection report by Goa Shipyard Limited (GSL) has exposed rampant and almost criminal violations by fishing vessels at Cutbona, Malim and Vasco. In all, 16 such vessels were inspected.
During the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) writ petition filed by the Goa Foundation seeking for ban on LED fishing in deep sea citing environmental concerns, the Goa Foundation which received a copy of the GSL report submitted that of the 16 fishing boats inspected across three fishing jetties, 14 were found equipped with generator sets and LED lights. The inspection report is dated January 24, 2024, ‘submitted by Goa Shipyard Ltd’.
Speaking on the injustice being done to the traditional fishermen, Francisco Fernandes alias Pele, a traditional fisherman, said, “Earlier every day used to be a good day for us. Now every day is a bad day. Neither are we getting good fish catch as it used to be earlier, nor are we getting big size fish. Few days ago, there was a fish catch of around 5-7 tonnes. But I noticed that the fish were small, unlike in the past, when we used to get 4-5 tonnes of big fish. The small size of fish catch won’t help the fishermen.”
“The small fish is sold at a very cheap rate. One basket of 10-15 kg fish is sold at around Rs 150-180. At the end of the day, our income is zero. Same is the situation with prawn catch, which is around two to three tonne, sometimes even less than half tonne. The government has fixed our rate as Rs 75 per kg. There is a catch of around 1-2 tonne fish a day. We earn around Rs 70,000 per tonne, of which half goes in paying wages to the labourers brought from Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
The point here is, ultimately there has to be a proper policy and a process. What we find here is that from 2016 and 2017 onwards, there has been a clear violation.
Every time we see that the same issue happens and unfortunately and this is a quote by Agnel Rodrigues himself, who actually said the violation of the ban on bull trawling equipped with generators and LED lights in territorial waters and the ease with which it still continues unabated due to the negligent use of these destructive gears by a handful of person owners. It has totally destroyed the nursing grounds.
The point here is that, is the government actually supporting the violators at the cost of traditional fishermen?
Responding to the question, Olencio Simoes, General Secretary, Goenchea Ramponkarancho Ekvott (GRE), said, “Today I will not only speak as the General Secretary of GRE or the National Fishworkers Forum, but also as a concerned citizen, as a fish eater and a person who cannot afford to buy fish anymore.”
“If you see, the main culprit is the Directorate of Fisheries, especially the Director, Shamila Monteiro. Goa was the first State to ban LED light fishing in 2016. Subsequently, because we couldn’t implement the ban, there was an argument that it should be banned in the EEZ also, since outside boats are coming into our waters and using LED lights. So we banned it in EEZ also. Now it is banned all over India.”
“But sadly, since the last eight years, not a single LED light boat has been caught by the Directorate of Fisheries on its own. They have caught a couple of boats, which were bought by the traditional fishermen,” he said.
“Now what is happening is, because of this, now if you see there are huge consequences of this. There is a report by Network for Fish Quality Management and Sustainable Fishing (NETFISH) that there is a 59% drop in fish catch. The Central Marine Fisheries Institute says there is a 54% fall in fish catch. There is no vigilance. Every year we have been going to the Fisheries Directorate for submitting memorandums. Be it the Director, Fisheries Minister or the Chief Minister of Goa. Unfortunately, there has been no implementation on ground,” Simoes said.
“Finally, out of desperation, we went to the High Court in 2020. Now we are hoping that the honourable Court will take up this issue on a serious note and give justice to the traditional fishermen, because today if you see, the Director very shockingly has filed an affidavit in the High Court on July 18, 2024, stating that she wants 60 to 150 KVA generators for the safety of the boats and all have objected to it,” he said.
“This is astonishing. How can she justify that a 150 KVA generator should be used for the safety of the crew, when you are not following any rules in terms of the Marine shipping Act? If you go into the details of the Marine Shipping Act, there are several guidelines that need to be adhered by the boat owner. If that happens, then we will find that not a single boat is qualified to go into the sea,” he said.
“So, this kind of attitude of the Fisheries Director and the department as a whole, sooner or later will result in shutting down of the Directorate. I think this will become a casino department in the few months or years to come. So, it’s high time that the State government takes action against the Director because there are almost 2,30,000 boats registered all over India. Now imagine if each and every boat uses 150 KVA of generators, then there will be complete exploitation of the marine resources of this country,” the GRE general secretary said.
“Ultimately, the biggest losers will be the fishermen themselves, because unfortunately, the handful of commercial fishermen who are there, think that they are the biggest players in India. But if you compare to Gujarat and Tamil Nadu, they are having much bigger fleets,” he said.
But these people who are coming in with big LED lights and trawlers, are they outside fishermen only or from Goa too?
“There are Goan fishermen also who are using LED lights and fishing in the waters of other States. I’m also representing the National FishWorkers Forum. In Maharashtra, the boat owners have complained to us that Goan fishermen are using LED lights in their waters and requested me to take some action on it. Because of them, we are not getting fish and because of them our Association is almost shutting down,” he said.
So it is not an insider-outsider problem. The problem is that there are Goans who are actually violating the rules and making other Goans suffer.
“Absolutely and in fact because of their irresponsible behaviour, they will be losing eventually, because if 150 KVA of generator is being used, then the entire coastline of Goa will be seen with trawlers using LED light and ultimately the ones who are proposing to use this 150 KVA generator, will be the biggest losers,” the GRE general secretary said.
Responding to these remarks, Victor Gonsalves, former chairman, Mandovi Fisheries Cooperative Society, said, “Some of the things that have been said, are valid and present the real picture. Now if you see, fishing and agriculture are our traditional occupations. Now that tradition of fishing is no more and the fish eating population of Goa is suffering.”
“There is also a legal side to the issue of LED lights used by fishing trawlers. We are using boats, having only the nets and Fish Finder. Now, this new concept of using LEDs to catch fish only for them has made fishing a commercial activity. It will not enhance the fish stock. The LED lights can kill the fish, especially of the smaller ones and the various breeds will be destroyed before they grow. There will be a shortage of food for everyone, including the marine species. People will not get fish to eat,” he said.
Now, the most important point which I’m saying today is that Goans are the fish eaters and Goa likes fish. The Ramponkars or the traditional fishermen used to go out for fishing using normal boats. Then we started mechanised fishing and we have jetties which are supposed to be the landing sites for the fish catch. This is the main supply source of fish for Goans. Being a tourism State they wanted fish in Goa. Now whatever fish which is caught today, is not for the people of Goa. It is getting exported, which is not being consumed by the local population,” he said.
Then, is filing petitions in the court the only way out? All the fishing stakeholders have been knocking on the doors of the judiciary. What can be done beyond seeking legal recourse?
“These boats which are operating from the jetties of Goa, are controlled by the local society. The people have to ensure that no boat laden with LED lights leaves the shores for fishing,” Gonsalves said.
Two years ago we contacted the Fisheries Minister and the same issue has been going on, nothing has changed. Only everybody has had different birthdays. Beyond that nothing has actually changed. Now, the minister was asked if there are any pending action against LED light violators and he said no case was pending. He categorically said that no trawler using LED lights was found. These were Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar’s words.
He also informed that if there were any violations found on any of the jetties, then the staff of the Fisheries Directorate posted there would be suspended. Not a single person has been suspended after that. Then he said that the Fisheries department had been directed to take the help of any agency for getting a certification of the generators that are on board these trawlers. Has that happened? No.
Now, let’s come to the certification part. If you look at the GSL’s report, which was broken by O Heraldo and is in public domain, it says about 16 boats in three jetties were inspected. Total 15 of the 16 boats had generator sets and LED light systems. LED lighting systems with multiple lighting lamps were found on 14 of the 16 vessels. The only vessel without the generator set, also did not have LED lamps. Now the issue is anybody who’s not in the fishing sector, will know what this means.
Total 14 boats used batteries as the same emergency power source, but only two had battery charges. Then, all 16 boats had VHF radio systems, but none of them had distress alert transmitter nor smoke distress signals; life rafts, fire and smoke warning systems and sensors were absent. 10 out of 16 boats did not have fire extinguishers; nine didn’t not have power fire pumps; none of these vessels had a refrigeration or air conditioning system.
The crew did not have proper accommodation facilities and five boats did not have toilets. This is the brief summary of the state of affairs.
Reacting to the GSL’s report, Premjit Sirsaikar, a trawler owner, said, “There’s no doubt about the genuinity of the report. See, out of 16 boats, 15 had generator sets. Total 99% boats were operating with LED lights in Goan jetties. Just one boat does not have LED lights and a generator.”
“I am well aware of what is happening. I am operating my boat from Malim jetty. So, while going on a boat, one can see the vessels fitted with generators and LED lights. We are not the authority to stop them. Government authorities like the coastal police or the Coast Guard can take action. We can stop these boats at the jetty itself, there is no need for the Coast Guard to do it in the mid-sea,” Sirsaikar said.
Now the point is that ultimately the department which is meant to protect fishermen is not doing its job. What can you do on the ground to ensure this does not happen, apart from going to the court, which has already been done? Because, the fishing community can’t afford to see the destruction happening in front of them and say leave it to the authorities, because it’s clear that they are not doing their job.
“See as an individual or a group, we can’t go and stop them from going for their daily task. The only thing we can do is inform the Fisheries department or the coastal police. Now, the issue here is that we have only one number for reporting any such illegal activities and that this is switched off all the time. Moreover, the coastal police don't have boats to respond to any distress call,” the fishing trawler operator said.
The first takeaway is the legal aspect. The irony is that although there is actually a ban on LED fishing, it is going on with absolute impunity everywhere. It is extremely shocking because at the end of the day, we are a law abiding State and the law is being violated with impunity, with very powerful people, including sections in the government seemingly protecting the violators and not the violated.
The second aspect is more emotional. At the end of the day, the Goan fisherman is like the mother of the house, who does not complain or agitate against anybody, but quietly goes around doing the work in order to feed her children. Our fishermen have been doing this for years and years and years and they've fed their families, their neighbours and their community. They have fed the land on which they live.
Ultimately, insulting a Goan fisherman or his family is like insulting your own mother and this is the biggest crime that we’ll commit, if we do not respect the traditional communities and traditional fishermen.
The point here is that, by indulging in these kinds of actions which hurt your traditional communities like this, then we don’t have any right to be called a State, which acts as a parent or a guardian and this is where we have failed the mothers of our society. One hopes that better sense prevails and this destruction is stopped for the benefit of the society.
All stakeholders, be it the people, fishing community or the government, all have to come together and act in unison to stop this destruction
for good.