BENAULIM, May 5 -- There is simmering discontent off the shores of Goa as traditional fishermen have raised vociferous opposition to the deployment of powerful LED lights by trawlear boats. These bright artificial illumination systems, they allege, are indiscriminately luring and 'vacuuming' up a wide range of marine species, rapidly depleting fish stocks.

The bone of contention is the use of excessive LED lights by larger trawlers to attract entire shoals of fish toward the water's surface at night. Traditional fishermen, employing more sustainable pole and line methods, claim this practice is disrupting the ecological balance and jeopardising their livelihoods.

"The LED lights act like massive underwatera lamps, drawing in everything ...