Monsoon fishing ban and other fishy facts from Goa

ESSENTIALLY GOAN

Fish is a key part of Goa’s identity. And, at the Museum of Goa, Pilerne, marine conservationist Aaron Lobo, recently discussed multiple facets of fishing in his talk, ‘It’s Raining Fish – Hallelujah!’.

FISHING BAN

During the talk, Lobo spoke about the monsoon fishing ban in Goa, introduced in the 1980s. Traditionally, fishers avoided fishing during this season due to rough weather and taboos around catching egg-bearing fish.

MONSOON MENU

In the past, Goans ate dried fish with pez/kanji during the monsoons. But now, fresh fish is available year-round, Lobo noted.

WHERE IT’S FROM

He revealed that most of the fish we consume nowadays comes from the East Coast, while high-value species, like chonak, are sourced from fish farms.

THE SUSTAINABLE WAY

He encouraged the consumption of small fish and the revival of the traditional korbutt, a mix of various small fish — promoting sustainable fishing practices.

TRADITIONAL TECHNIQUES

Lobo also spoke about traditional fishing practices, like ramponn, etc, as it resulted in sustainable fishing.

WORLD RANKINGS

And finally, he informed that India is the third-largest fish producer globally and sixth in wild capture fisheries, but catches have declined since the 1990s.

NEXT: Know about Goa’s Purument, a seasonal ritual of buying salted fish