Panaji: early until the fishing season this year seems slower and full of challenges compared to the pre-pandemic era.
While delaying in the arrival of labor in Goa, even weeks after the start of the fishing season, is a general scene, this year the pandemic is increasingly delaying the arrival of crew members.
The association of fishing vessels, President Frank Martins said that less than 40% of trawlers from the Cutbona dock had been able to explore the sea.
“The majority of trawlers are still docked by the dock.” At the Malim dock, the situation is even worse, with only five to 10% of the ship exploring into the sea.
“Our workers usually waited until August 15 to return to Goa.
This time, some take it longer.
We hope that the workforce will come in the first week of September so that at least 70 to 75% of trawlers can start operations,” said members of cooperative society Fisheries Mandovi Fernandes Francisco.
While the owner Trawler lamented a slow start because the crew was limited, this season has become “at all not starting from the owner of the Purse Seine Boat,” according to the owner of a large ship.
Unlike trawlers, Purse Seine Boats needs a greater workforce when they live in the sea anywhere between two and three weeks.
In addition, if the increase in fuel prices is not enough of the burden for the owner of the fishing vessel to start, they now also have to bear the cost of bus transportation which is set to bring workers from their respective countries to Goa.
“Like last year, we might have to send a bus to Jharkhand or other states to restore our crew members.
Diesel rates increase by 40% and transportation costs are very high,” said a purseiner.
With a minimum cost teaching one person of Rs 6,000, this results in almost RS 2 lakh expenditure to transport the bus full of 35-40 passengers.
“The Tamil Nadu government has provided a diesel fishermen fishing boat operator.
If the Goa government does not do the same thing, the state fisheries industry will collapse,” said President of the Association of the owner of the Single Boat Purse Goa Harshad Dhond.
And, for ships equipped with fuel and crew, it is the weather that plays spoilsport.
“The sea is a little rough because we don’t dare too far.
Most there are mackerel in the sea parts that we can access, and even the catch is bad.
We can take only about half of a ton of fish in a day.
This is not a very productive start for the season This, “said Puktller owner from Cutbona Jetty.