Goans are banned from using trawlers fitted with LED lights.
Goa Vikas Party legislator, Fransisco 'Miccky' Pacheco on Tuesday questioned the "rationale" behind state Fisheries Department banning fishing using LED lights.
"On what basis has Fisheries Department banned fishing using LED lights? The decision is without any logical thinking and is against the interest of Goan fishermen community," he told the Legislative Assembly during a discussion on demands for grants to the fisheries department.
He said while Goans are banned from using trawlers fitted with LED lights, fishermen from neighbouring Karnataka and Maharashtra are "making merry" in absence of any ban in those states.
The department has recently issued an ordinance banning the use of LED lights in the wake of massive protests wherein fishermen blocked rivers with canoes and trawlers.
"Can you issue ordinance only because there is a law and order problem?" Mr Pacheco, a former tourism minister, said referring to lathicharge during the protest.
He said the Centre had conducted scientific research spending Rs 6 crore on the use of LED lights for fishing.
"The report had given a green signal for fishing with LED lights, but with a condition that (fishing) net should be of 45 mm mesh," the Nuvem MLA said, and rubbished the claim that only small fishes get netted due to use of LED lights.
"The actual theory is that small fish get confused due to the light and bigger fish get attracted there looking at the smaller fish. The final catch is of a bigger fish and not of small fish," he added.