fish auction @

Bhau-chaBhau-cha-Dhakka ......... a magnet of fishing travelers

Presentation by: Prabhakar Jagdale Hemant Bhagat Vikram Singh Shaheen Peerzada

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Location Hi tor Economics Operations Problems & Prospects

Bhaucha Dhakka more commonl Dockyard Road (Mazagaon).

nown as New Ferr W arf is located along t e coast of

It was built by Lakshman Hari Chandarjee Ajinkya. (1789-1858). He belonged to the Pathare Prabhu community (one of the original inhabitants of ombay).He was affectionately addressed as hau or big brother by the local people. His family had estates at Naigaum and Parel and he worked as Chief Clerk in the Gun Carriage Factory in Colaba. Information gi en in the Govt. Archives and in the Marathi book Pathare Prabhuncha Itihaas by Pratap Velkar reveal that ombay did not have a regular pier or wharf till 1835 for either goods or passengers. The government started leasing out land on the ombay frontage to private individuals to build wet docks and basins. Laksman Hari Chandarjee Ajinkya alias hau was the first local to take this opportunity. He thus constructed ombays first wet dock in 1841 for the convenience of the passengers and incoming ships to load, embark and berth. These included Carnac and Claire bunders. Today, the passenger terminal at the hau-Cha-Dhakka is still used to ferry people to Mora and Rewas for their onward journeys to Uran and Alibag.

The New Ferry Wharf was constructed to accommodate the additional trawlers from Gujarat and to provide facilities for fish landings. The harbour was commissioned in April 1980. The new jetty for fish landings is an extension of the old hau-cha-Dhakka which is used as a passenger jetty of Mumbai harbour. A small bridge connects the main land with the jetty and facilities like diesel bunk, auction hall etc. are available for the vessels using the harbour.

The market handles more than 400 different types of seafood from surmai (kingfish), mori (shark), rawas (salmon), mandeli, prawn, mackerel, kane (ladyfish), pomfret, crab and, of course, the legendary bombil ( ombay duck). Overall, more than 700,000 metric tons of seafood are handled every year at the three seafood markets in Mumbai. haucha Dhakka alone handles over 2000 metric tons of seafood per day. The number of registered employees as of 25 anuary 2010 varies from 60,00 to 65,00, including wholesalers, accountants, auctioneers, company officials, and distributors.

The market opens most mornings at 5:00 a.m. with the arrival of the catch by boats, trawlers. The wholesalers then estimate the value and prepare the incoming products for the auctions. The buyers also inspect the fish to estimate which fish they would like to bid for and at which price. The auctions start around 6:00 a.m. The bidders include intermediate wholesalers who operate stalls in the marketplace, and other buyers who are agents for restaurants, food processing companies, and large retailers. The auctions usually end around 9:00 a.m. Afterward, the purchased fish is either loaded onto trucks to be shipped to the next destination. The fresh catch makes its way to the fish markets and roadside vendors and finally into kitchens where its dunked in coconut curries, steamed in banana leaves, coated with masala or just plain fried.

Licence Fees will be levied on vessels registered and vessels using Bunders as under :

Mumbai Port Trust charges the Licence Fees on users and ancillary trade.

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1. 2.

Only valid licence holders shall be allowed to carry out above activity. The licences shall be renewed on annual basis.

Poor facilities in terms of adequate drinking water, medical facilities, place for auction, etc. Unhygienic health conditions due to delay in removal of fish waste and garbage. Poor Maintenance of fish storage facilities No Government Aid in terms of insurance for fishermans No drinking water facility is available for sailing vessels from the Port Authority The M PT is collecting port dues on the first of every month. In view of this, even if the vessels arrives on the 30th of a particular month and leaves on sixth of the following month, it has to pay for two months. This creates hardship for them. They have, therefore, suggested that the port charges may be valid for one month from the date of arrival of the vessel.
U E of parsisan net: oicing concern over the extinction of fish in the Arabian sea, the Akhil Maharashtra Macchhimar Kriti amiti (AMMK ) has demanded a ban on the use of parsisan nets for fishing. The parsisan net, which costs Rs 15 lakh, is spread across 3 km in the sea and therefore there is a major threat to fish," amiti president Damodar Tandel told reporters. ecause of this net, fish in the entire 3 km area is captured and killed. reeding is also affected as chemicals are also used in it," he said. Earlier, the fishermen used to fish with the help of trawlers, but after they learnt that due to parsisan net they can good income they started to use it extensively, he alleged. Fifteen years back there was a ban on parsisan net but the big trawler owners requested the commissioner office of the state fishery department to allow them to use this net,Tandel said.

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Govt to set up fish markets: Mumbai, un 21 (PTI) Maharashtra government will set up fish markets on the lines of vegetable markets in nine districts of the state, Minister of tate for Fisheries, Madhukar Chavan, said. "Advanced fish markets would be set up in nine districts of the state, which would be based on the lines of vegetable markets," Chavan said. "Six such fish markets would be set up in neighboring Thane district and would be under the jurisdiction of the municipalities," he said. Earlier in the day, the minister held a meeting with the Akhil Maharashtra Macchhimar Kriti Samiti (AMMKS) which demanded a ban on the parsisan net which they claim is harmful for the marine life as it affects breeding of fish. Chavan, however, said that since the issue is pending in the court it would be inappropriate to make any comment on the issue. "The government is willing to put a ban on parsisan net. ut since the issue is pending in the court therefore we cannot take a decision," he said. Suggesting that the issue can be resolved amicably, Chavan said the government has decided to form a committee of experts which would present a report on the threat from the parsisan net which can spread 3 km in sea and therefore a threat for fish. After being apprised by the AMMKS about rampant fishing in the Arabian sea despite a ban in place since une 15, the minister asked the fishing body to file cases against the violators. Flying squads have been formed to keep a check on the violators and the government would cancel their licenses, he added.

safeguarding the financial interest of fishermen and their co-operatives

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Boats go into sea 9-10 before Day starts at 5.00 am Auction time : 6.00 am to 9 am Credit period 10 to 15 days Commission to agents No auction during une 20 to Aug 20
Mumbai port trust imposes uniform fishing ban during the period from une 20 to Aug 20, for the reasons of conservation and effective management of fishery resources and also for the sea safety reasons