It is true that fishing trawlers and boats in Goa need not have wireless sets while fishing in deep waters. Fisheries director S C Verenkar said that the Goa Daman and Diu Marine Fishing Regulation Act, 1981 does not make it mandatory for carrying wireless sets. However, some boat owners have applied for licenses from the wireless advisor’s office in Mumbai to get connectivity.
It is told that no specific information is there about the numbers of fishing vessels using wireless sets. Betul coastal police station PI Gurudas Kadam informed of late, boat owners and their staff, particularly the tandel and sukanee who operate the boats and also gauge the direction of the sea, keep in touch with each other through mobile phones. It is fact that the use of wireless sets declined with the advent of mobiles.
Verenkar said the Central government under a scheme has provided a subsidy of Rs 1.50 lakh for fishing trawlers and boats to purchase an automatic identification system (AIS). The system along with GPS and other gadgets would be a great help in tracking the vessels. The director also said the coast guard has recently provided a distress alert transponder system to 20 vessels of four different fishing societies.
