Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) General Secretary Olencio Simoes, along with Maharashtra youth representative Mrunmayi Vatkare, participated in the four-day Global Youth Exchange & Political Leadership Training Program in Negombo, Sri Lanka. The event, organized by the World Forum for Fishers People (WFFP), saw participation from youth across 17 Asia-Pacific countries and was based on resolutions passed at the WFFP’s eighth General Assembly in Brazil.
The primary focus of the exchange was to raise awareness among youth about ocean grabbing and the struggles faced by fishing communities worldwide. The discussions highlighted violations of human rights-based approaches, the impact of large-scale ocean exploitation, and concerns surrounding the blue economy model.
Speaking at the event, Olencio Simoes criticized the Central Government’s decision to permit offshore mining along the Kerala coast, which was opposed by the Kerala Legislative Assembly through a unanimous resolution. The government had invited tenders to exploit 342 sq. km of sea sand and placer deposits in Kollam, estimated to contain 302 million tons of sand, including provisions for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
Simoes argued that this move contradicts India’s commitments to marine conservation and climate resilience, violating international agreements like the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), FAO guidelines for small-scale fishers, and the Paris Agreement. He further highlighted similar concerns in Goa, where 12 zones of the Mandovi and Zuari rivers are set to be mined, extracting an estimated 30.8 million tons and 6 million tons of minerals, respectively. This, he warned, could prove disastrous for Goa’s already polluted rivers, displacing thousands of inland fishers and destroying marine ecology, wildlife-protected species, and mangroves, much like what happened in Mannar, Sri Lanka, where entire coastal communities were uprooted.
Simoes also emphasized the urgent need for stricter marine resource management in Goa, as fish stocks are depleting rapidly due to destructive fishing gears and overfishing. He called on Goa’s Fisheries Minister Nilkanth Halarnkar to introduce amendments to the Goa, Daman, and Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1980, and Rules, 1982 in the upcoming three-day budget session scheduled for March.
NFF is demanding a tenfold increase in penalties, with a ₹10 lakh one-time fine for outside boats fishing in Goa’s territorial waters and a threefold increase in existing fines for violations.
Simoes pointed out that many countries in Europe and Asia have strict fishing regulations, including limits on tonnage, fish size, and seasonal bans for specific species. However, Goa lacks such policies, allowing deep-sea and purse seine fishing boats to operate without restrictions. He warned that without immediate action, Goa’s traditional fishing industry could collapse, leading to a future where only expensive farmed fish will be available to consumers.
