Team Goemkarponn
Panaji: A shortage of commercial LPG cylinders is severely impacting fishing operations across Goa, leaving numerous trawlers stranded at jetties and raising concerns over potential spikes in fish prices if supplies are not restored promptly.
At Malim fishing jetty, one of Goa’s major fishing hubs, boat owners report that the crisis has already begun to halt operations. Returning vessels are unable to head back to sea due to the lack of cooking gas needed for long fishing trips.
Harshad Dhond, president of the All Goa Purse Seiners Boat Owners Association, said the Malim jetty alone handles around 200–250 trawlers, including roughly 125 large boats and over 100 smaller vessels. All of them rely on commercial LPG cylinders to sustain crews during multi-day voyages.
“Each large trawler, with a crew of 35–40, requires five to six cylinders for a 10–12 day trip, while smaller boats need two to three cylinders. With no new supply, boats returning from the sea are stuck at the jetty. Our backup stocks were exhausted two days ago,” Dhond explained.
The jetty’s cooperative society distributes cylinders through a local grocery outlet, normally supplying 60–100 cylinders daily to vessels preparing to sail. Fishermen fear that continued disruption could bring fishing operations at the Malim centre to a standstill.
“The situation is critical. If LPG supply does not resume immediately, the fishing centre could collapse,” Dhond warned.
The fishing community is looking to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant for relief, following his assurance in the Assembly that the state government is coordinating with the Centre to resolve the issue.
Officials noted that prolonged grounding of boats could sharply reduce fish landings, driving up market prices. “If fishing operations remain suspended for several more days, not only will the catch drop, but prices of available fish will rise sharply,” said a Fisheries Department official, citing the broader impact of global economic pressures.
