MARGAO
Dark monsoon clouds gathering over the Arabian Sea have once again cast uncertainty over the traditional fishing community of Benaulim, with fishermen anxiously awaiting a long-pending decision on allotment of space at the defunct Benaulim hatchery complex to anchor their country-made boats and store fishing nets during the rainy season.
With barely ten days remaining before the annual fishing ban comes into force on June 1, traditional fishermen continue to anchor their wooden canoes and country-made fishing boats along the coastline for want of a dedicated sheltering space. As the southwest monsoon approaches, the community fears damage to boats and fishing gear exposed to rough seas and heavy rains.
A visit to the coastal village revealed boats lined up precariously along the shore, while fishermen expressed concern over the delay in opening the gates of the abandoned hatchery land for temporary monsoon anchorage.
For years, traditional fishermen from Benaulim have been demanding that a portion of the unused Fisheries Department land at the defunct hatchery complex be earmarked for the community to safely park boats and store fishing equipment during the monsoon months. Despite repeated representations, including representations from the Benaulim village panchayat, the issue has remained unresolved, said fisherman Pele Fernandes.
The matter gained renewed attention earlier this year when Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, during his visit to Benaulim coast for the Rampon Day celebrations on February 7, gave positive indications that the government would consider the long-pending demand after Pele raised the issue at the programme.
The festival, organised by the Niz Ramponkarancho Ekvott in association with the Directorate of Fisheries, was attended by traditional fishermen from across the coastal belt. Addressing the gathering, the Chief Minister had assured the community that the government would positively examine the proposal for allotment of land at the Benaulim hatchery complex for anchoring fishing boats and nets.
The assurance had raised hopes among local fishermen, many of whom viewed it as much-needed relief for the traditional fishing sector struggling with shrinking coastal space and increasing operational difficulties.
Before concluding his visit to Benaulim, Sawant had reiterated that both the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Goa remain committed to supporting traditional fishing communities as part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of the “Blue Revolution”.
However, with the monsoon season fast approaching, fishermen say they are still waiting for concrete action on the ground. “We have heard assurances for years. What we need now is immediate access to the hatchery land before the monsoon intensifies,” said a local fisherman, pointing towards the row of country-made boats anchored dangerously on the coast.
Traditional fishermen maintain that the hatchery land, presently lying unused, can provide a practical and safe solution during the monsoon fishing ban period, when boats are pulled ashore and protected from turbulent seas.
Besides demanding dedicated space admeasuring 5,000 square metres for anchoring fishing boats and nets inside the hatchery property, the local fishermen said the allotted land can be utilised for fishing activities such as cold storage for stacking surplus fish, a net-mending shed, etc.
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PPP Cell still working on hatchery project details
MARGAO: While presenting the 2026-27 Budget, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant had announced that the government would renovate and redevelop the brackish water hatchery at Benaulim to promote advanced fish farming technology, breeding of exportable fish, the Blue Economy and seaweed farming in the state.
The announcement assumes significance against the backdrop of a proposal floated by the Fisheries Department in late 2025, inviting Request for Proposal (RFP) from interested parties to establish a multispecies marine fish hatchery at the Benaulim facility on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) basis.
The ambitious project envisages hatcheries for seabass, cobia, pompano, shrimp, bivalves and marine ornamental fish, along with the development of common infrastructure facilities.
While the total land available at the defunct hatchery site measures around 52,000 square metres, the Fisheries Department has proposed redevelopment of an existing 38,000-square-metre facility.
According to the proposal, the seabass hatchery is expected to have an annual production capacity of 40 lakh seeds, while the cobia hatchery will produce five lakh seeds annually. The pompano hatchery is planned with a capacity of 10 lakh seeds, the shrimp hatchery one crore seeds, the bivalves hatchery one crore seeds, and the marine ornamental fish facility one lakh seeds annually.
The project also includes construction and development of common facilities such as seawater and freshwater intake systems, storage units, effluent treatment plants and discharge systems.
When contacted by The Goan, Director of Fisheries Dr Shamila Monteiro said the government’s PPP Cell is currently working on the project details relating to the proposed multispecies marine fish hatchery at Benaulim.
On the Chief Minister’s announcement regarding allocation of land for traditional fishermen at the defunct hatchery site, Dr Monteiro said an appropriate decision would be taken in line with the government’s commitment.
Incidentally, the government had earlier floated an Expression of Interest (EoI) in August 2020, inviting prospective investors to set up a “Shrimp and Fin Fish Hatchery” project at the defunct Benaulim prawn hatchery site through the PPP model.
