MARGAO
It’s close to a month now since the hustle and bustle went missing at South Goa’s major fishing hub – the Cutbona fishing jetty. While fishing vessels have dropped anchor in the river Sal, the jetty road wears a deserted look with the wide road playing host to wooden canoes used by the fishing vessels.
But, tucked away in the adjoining fisheries complex is a net mending shed where a group of labourers are busy preoccupied in repairing torn fishing nets. While the 4000-odd workforce that was engaged in the fishing industry has gone back to their native states with the two-month long fishing ban coming into force from June 1, these handful of migrant labourers, mostly hailing from Andhra Pradesh have stayed put at the Cutbona jetty to carry out the job during the ban period – mending the fish nets.
A visit to the Cutbona fishing jetty and the fisheries complex revealed that the off season period is a time for these migrant workers to work on mending fish nets at the jetty. Two sets of labourers were engaged in the work of mending the fish nets in two different sheds, silently carrying out the job with perfection.
Information revealed that they have not headed home to their native states, but are all engaged in the repairing the fishing nets as they race against time to complete the job ahead of the new fishing season beginning from August 1.
Says former president of the Cutbona Boat Owners Union, Cypriano Cardozo: “The ban period comes as an opportune time for these migrant labouers to work on mending fish nets. They are specialized in the work of net mending. Normally, their work starts when the fishing ban comes into force from June 1”.
Mending the fish nets is an activity witnessed at the Cutbona fishing jetty every year during the two month ban period. Cardozo pointed out that boat owners give contracts to the workers from Andhra Pradesh to repair the fishing nets which are damaged during the fishing period. “Fishing nets get damaged during fishing in the deep seas on account of various reasons. The boat owners give contracts to these migrant workers to repair the damaged nets at a fixed price. This is a normal activity carried out by these workers during the lean season”, he added.
Sources said once these workers complete the job of repairing the fishing nets, they head to their native states, only to return back later during the season.
Mechanized fishing activity has come to a halt from June 1 with the coming into force of the 61 day old fishing ban.
