In a major step to ensure fish growth and conservation of the marine ecosystem in the state, the fisheries department has prohibited catching juvenile fish in the state. The department has decided a minimum legal size (MLS) for certain fish variants and has restricted the catch of such fish below certain centimeters. MLS is seen as a fisheries’ management tool with the ability to protect young fish, maintain spawning stocks and control the sizes of fish.
“The restriction has been brought out so that fishermen do not catch fish which is less than the particular size. We already have a mesh size regulation, but this notification will give it more weightage. Fishermen are not restricted from catching any fish, but they are restricted from catching fish less than the given size,” director of fisheries, Shamila Monteiro said. The department has listed out 20 types of fish and shrimp that are very dominant in Goa (see infographic). There will be a check on fishermen at landing centres to ensure that the rule is being followed. Fishermen might have to resort to using fishing nets of bigger mesh size to pull their shoal from the waters to ensure that juvenile fish do not get trapped in their nets.
Considering that there could be chances of some quantity of fish that may end up being of smaller size, action will be taken only if more than 50% of the catch in the shoal comprises of small size fish, Monteiro said. It has come to the state government’s attention that a large quantity of low-value (non-target), smaller size fish (juveniles) are caught by mechanized fishing vessels, only to be cast off later since the commercial value is lesser. Though there is no information on the volume of the rejected fish, the department maintains that the fish “are found killed and discarded in varying proportions” after being caught by mechanized fishing vessels.
“The juveniles of various species of fishes are caught before they attain maturity, and this severely affects the fish population. Along with juvenile fish, other non-edible biota, which are vital to the existence of marine eco-system are caught in a fishing operation,” a notification issued by the department on Thursday read. The notification also stated that the government has considered the matter serious since it will affect the juvenile population of the marine life and in the long run may also “bring about a disaster in the fishing industry making it unsustainable and uneconomical” as a result of which the state government has decided to prohibit the catching of the different species of juvenile fish in the specified area.