UDUPI: A delegation from the Malpe Fishermen’s Association, led by Udupi MLA Yashpal Suvarna, met with Goa’s fisheries minister, Nilkanth Halarnkar, to discuss issues faced by coastal Karnataka fishermen when fishing near the state border, including confusion over fines. They sought solutions to these problems.
MLA Yashpal Suvarna informed the minister about the confusion and lack of clarity regarding the nautical mile limits for fishing in the waters of both Karnataka and Goa. He highlighted that this confusion had led to incidents where boats entering Goa’s border were seized and heavy fines were imposed, causing difficulties for fishermen in the coastal district.
Dayanand Suvarna, president of the Malpe Fishermen’s Association, mentioned that varying fishing regulations between states are causing hardships for fishermen.
Responding to the delegation’s concerns, the Goa fisheries minister acknowledged the occurrence of such incidents during interstate fishing. He expressed hope that a uniform fishing policy for the western coast of the country would resolve these issues. He promised to convene a meeting of fisheries ministers from the western coastal states soon and work towards implementing a uniform fishing policy through the central government to provide a permanent solution.
Present at the meeting were Dinesh Kumar Kaller, director of the Karnataka government’s Fisheries Department; Ramachandra Kunder, president of the Malpe Mechanized Trawl Boat Fishermen’s Cooperative Society; vice-president Prakash Bangera; Subhash Mendon, president of the Malpe Deep Sea Trawl Boat Association; among others.
