A canal of gushing rain water traversing across a beach, the distant sight of fallen palm trees at the mercy of nature’s fury, and a deserted shoreline, void of the deck beds and tourist…just frequented by local ramponkars… this soothing sight is not of some deserted isle far, far away but of Coco Beach at Nerul.
The sight of some of the locals busy pulling in fishing nets, not once but repeatedly throughout the day no matter how rough the weather, seems to be an adventure in itself, at least for us bystanders. With the deep sea fishing ban already in place, demand for fish caught by the Ramponkars only increases during the monsoon season.
Although trawlers going to the sea are banned, it does not affect the fish catch along the beach. Also, motorised crafts with 8 horse power motors are permitted into the seas.
“When close to shore, the net can be cast any number of times, but once we sail more that 100kms off the shore, we cast the net only twice, that too depending on favourable sea currents,” informs Ozario Isidoro, union leader of the Nerul Ramponkaracho Ekvot, who is also a member of Goa Ramponkaracho Ekvot based at Cansaulim.
The net has a length of 300 to 400 metres, costs about one lakh rupees and requires about 20 people to pull it against the strong wind.
According to Ozario, during fair weather condition, about 50 motorised fibre canoes which require about five people each, operate from this area; most of these fishermen come from outside the state. Every time they venture out to the deep sea to catch a variety of fish, from mackerels and sardines to tiger prawns, seerfish and others, they are neither sure of there own safety nor the safety of their expensive nets, which tend to get stuck on the sea bed.
He further informed that in recent times, the beach shack culture has transgressed on their land. He feels that erosion, caused by the large number of deck beds, is a new happening along the beach. The huge number of shacks and their 50 plus deck beds, when permissible number is just 5, not only cause erosion but also affects the fisher folks. These shacks don’t really benefit the locals because as soon as they get the licence, they lease them out to out-of-towners and in the bargain, the beach looses its hygiene, cleanliness and sanitation, thereby affecting the Ramponkars and their livelihood.
While we may buy a portion of fish by spending few hundred rupees effortlessly, do we spend a thought for the Ramponkars whose life seems to be fraught with danger every time they go to work.
Courtesy:Times Of India
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