Panaji: Mechanized fishing trawlers in Goa defiantly went to sea, sailing in the face of public opinion and a Goa High Court verdict that bars such vessels from fishing till mid-August.

Some trawler owners have been fighting to thwart the monsoon fishing-ban and politicians last week hurriedly pushed through a law as the battle of the fishnet hotted up.

The monsoon fishing-ban is aimed at conserving fast-depleting fish stocks. Monsoon is the fish breeding season and mechanized trawlers are known to drive away fishes. Goa, like other coastal states, is a fish-eaters' paradise.

Battles over fish resources off the 105-km Goan coastline have in the past turned violent. From the early seventies, traditional fishermen battled mechanized trawler owners, saying the latter were depleting fish resources and depriving the traditional fishermen of a livelihood.

This year, there was a growing feeling that the fishing ban, which ends in late- July, was insufficient. As expected, a Goa High Court bench upheld this view and extended the ban till mid-August.

But, politicians in the state -- some of whom like former chief minister Churchill Alemao and Jose Philip are trawler-owners -- pushed through a law that cut down the period of the monsoon fishing-ban to July 24.

The politicians added a clause to the law which stated that "no court, tribunal or any other authority shall have jurisdiction."

It was not immediately clear whether Governor Mohammed Fazal had given his approval to the legislation but defiant trawler owners went out to sea, taking the confrontation to a new level.

However, a few mechanized trawler owners pointed to declining fish catches and supported a stronger fishing ban. "Fish is a national resource. However, in 1990, mackerels (a popular local fish variety) were available at 20 for a rupee. Today it costs Rs. five to 10 each in the market. Who is responsible for this situation?" asks engineer Bernard D'Souza.

Trawler owners argued that they were losing vital export-oriented prawn catches at this time of the year and the new law specifically prohibited the catching of "juveniles of fishes." It specially named locally popular varieties like mackerels and sardines for protection, though how this would be implemented is not clear.