‘Diesel generators are directly linked to LED fishing’

Panaji: The high court has concluded that there is a “direct correlation” between diesel generator (DG) sets and LED fishing, as most fishing vessels inspected were found with no appliances such as refrigerators, hot plates, ovens, or comfort appliances like air conditioners, washing machines, or dryers.The HC determined that the only use of DG sets on board is to power LED lights, which are either submerged or on the surface and used to attract shoals of fish. This method of fishing has been banned by the Ban Order of 2016 and 2017.The directorate of fisheries attempted to justify the requirement of a DG set on board of every fishing vessel, stating that it was required to power communication equipment and provide a backup power supply in case the main engine of the vessel fails.“This, however, is also clearly untrue,” HC said, citing the Goa Shipyard Limited report. The court observed, “…there is no requirement for any of the vessels in this class to have an alternativee source of power.” According to the GSL report, which the directorate of fisheries initially attempted to suppress from the court, almost all fishing vessels inspected at Cutbona, Malim, and Vasco jetties were found with LED lighting systems on board.The GSL report opined that conventional fishing boats can be operated without a DG set and that, in the case of inspected boats, practically all boats had no refrigerator hold where the fish catch is stored. The HC also observed that most of the vessels did not have a magnetic compass, distress alert transmitter, or radio communication equipment on board.Most vessels, on average, have 40 crew members, with none of the vessels providing accommodation for the crew.