community aquaculture development in india

8/4/2019 Community Aquaculture Development in India

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for a malnourishedpeople. After talk ingwith Chapman about thepoSSibilities of bringingthis technology to third

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he picture of povertyand starvation insome parts of India isa subtle one. It's notemaciated limbs,swollen bell ies, orbarren, eroded plains.Poverty in southerncoastal India exists amid a lushsetting of swaying palm trees andflowing canals, of children's smilingfaces, of beauty and grace anddignity. It's people who havenothing, sharing with others whohave nothing, in order to survive. It'sparents going hungry so theirchildren can eat. Several years ago Bar Harborattorney Douglas Chapman formedan unlikely alliance with an FBIagent from New Haven,

,~ B r i n g i n g , , \ ..~ ~ \ a q u a c " u l t u r e _ to"lndia D9ug Chapman trys to help the hungry

Sto: by Diana AbreU Photos courtesy of Doug ChapmanConnecticut, AI Ouimet. Both hadcommitted themselves to dosomething to help others in need.Ouimet's commitment came out of apromise he made at a Trappistmonastery to God and himself tohelp the world's poor if his wifesurvived a bout with cancer.Chapman's commitment originatedfrom a deep conviction that he musthelp others in order to live withhimself.For 17 years Ouimet hadorganized fund-raising efforts to helpstarving families in Alleppey in thestate of Kerala in India. As a fonnerattorney for Ocean Products, Inc., ofEastport and New Brunswick,Chapman was aware of the potentialfor aquaculture to provide acontinual supply of quality protein

world countries, Ouimet Doug Chapman brought a walkman to India and thissent two Indian priests to Indian boy delights In heartng for the flrst time eversee the Bay of Fundy Myou Are The World" sung by Stevie Wonder.salmon-raising farm. (above) Children in an orphanage In AJleppey greet theOuimet, himself, went to visitors from the United States.India last year and talkedwith a marine biologist about theproject. The consensus was that thechances were good for anaquaculture project to be successfulin Alleppey. ,In Octobe(Chapman and a groupof advisors traveled to southern Indiaat the invitation of the RomanCatholic Bishop of the Diocese ofAlleppey. The-group spent eight-days

visiting the villages and rural areas,meeting the people, and studyingfisheries development options.'We found a beautiful, dignifiedpeople," said Chapman. "But they aredesperately poor and very hungry.They live in metal or bamboo shacksthat only last a year or two. We sawpeople dying of tuberculosis. We saw see INDIA page 82


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INDIA from page 81, very little in the way of antibiotics or ,vitamins, but a lot of opium to killthe pain."In spite of their desperate' situation,. the Indian people have a strongsocial infrastructure, are welleducated, and have a function ngcooperative upon which to build,Chapman said. In addition, pondsand canals in which fish can beraised exist in every neighborhood.When they can get it, the Indianpeople consider fish an importantand well-liked part of their diet.OxFam U.K., an international reliefagency, has shown interest in fundinga finfish aquaculture project inAlleppey, Chapman said. For threedays members of the mission talkedin New Delhi, India's capitol, withrepresentatives of OxFam U.K.,OxFam America, and officials of theUnited States embassy about theaquaculture proposal. In addition toChapman, members of he missionwere Arthur MacKay, pioneer of asalmon aquaculture project in StAndrews, New Brunswick; MervinRoberts, fishery consultant from OldLyme, Connecticut; and SpencerAppollonio, former commissioner ofthe Maine Department of MarineResources. The group returned to theUnited States November 1 withrecommendations for thedevelopment of new sources ofprotein for the coastal people ofA/leppey. Chapman says he isconfident that the talks in New Delhipaved the way for support toimplement his group'srecommendations, hopefully within ayear. Some of his advisors may returnsoon to Alleppey to meet with theBishop again, he said.The depth o(Chapman'scommitment to help people hasimpressed Ouimet, who himself hasdevoted much of his life to

alleviating starvation in India. "I'msure he's going to help people there,"said Ouimet."If he gets this project off theground, it will change amalnourished community to onewith emphasis on feeding people."The impact a guy like Doug canhave is tremendous. I don't think heeven appreciates that yet. What hehopes to do can change theeconomic cycle of he community."Ouimet feels the chances for successare good as long as the projectmoves slowly."You have to listen to the peopleat the grass roots level," Ouimetsaid, lrand that's w h Doug didover there."The mission was privately fundedby Mt. Desert Island residents and bythe participants themselves.The project will be experimental innature at first, said Chapman. Localadults and children will keep an eyeon the growing fish. Advisors fromthe United States, possibly fromCollege of he Atlantic, may be sentto get the hatchery going and to helpkeep up morale when there areinevitable problems such as dyingfish, he said.If the hatchery and subsequentraising of fish in ponds and canals issuccessful, said Chapman, a furthergoal is to operate shrimp aquacultureprojects to provide a cash crop."Right now money should be spentfor growing protein for ,consumption," said Chapman. "Laterthey can grow shrimp for cash.Eventually we hope finfishaquaculture farrns will operate all theway up the western coast of India toBombay," he said.OxFam America has alreadyagreed to fund a large-scale shrimpfarm in Bombay. There the projectwill be employing 20,000 womenthrown out of work when anindustrial plant shut down.

INDIA

Indian marine bloioglst, P.S. Marshall, ,records data on one of the ponds that may beused to raise finfish. A variety of f ~ s h water fish, similar to bass, salmon, and trout,are Indigenous to southern India.


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A primary concern is to avoid anadverse impact on the fragile Indianenvironment. The land was raped bythe Portuguese, said Chapman, whilepursuing the spice trade. Later theDutch and the British abused theland and the Japanese wiped out thefish resources. HWe're looking atimplementing projects that won'tdestroy the delicate environmentalequilibrium,H he said. The ponds andcanals that exist are part of a Britishreclamation project. The ponds havebeen used to soak coconut andpineapple husks to make rope. Theyare full of nutrients that can beextracted and used for fertilizer. Theponds can then become places tosupport small, indigenous, low-techfish farms.''The worst thing we can do iscome in. with our western menta litythat we can do something quickly,"said Chapman. HThis is a civilizationas old as the world.H

Chapman was impressed with thewarmth of the Indian people he met.nrhey are a nurturing, lovingpeople," he said. "For all of us it wasquite an experience. Once you'vebeen there, you realize there's nodifference whether you're _born here

or you're born there. You have to dosomething."Chapman did not meet MotherTheresa. "I didn't have to. I metMother Theresas everywhere. SisterCecily is a saint. Sister Cecily goesamong the people finding those whoneed help and directs funding raisedby Ouimetto needy families." Manyofthe nuns have dedicated their livesto living in poverty with the poor.Orphanages in Alleppey are full ofchildren who are too old to beadopted. In some cases the parentsare liv ing but cannot afford to feedtheir children.In one orphanage they visited, agroup of girls performed a "stickdance" for the visitors from theUnited States. The little girls,adorned and made up, sang a fastmoving, sustained, rhythmic song inHindi accentuated with the beatingof sticks. Hit blew me apart," he said ..HThey are so beautiful and graceful.

''The people took us in andshowed us their life and their wor ld.It is a life of much good. Perhaps wecan make a contribu tion to theirnutrition. It would be a small butbeautiful gift to a wonderful people."

(left) Members of the mission organized by Doug Chapman to study the potential ofaquaculture In southern India gather here With the staff of an orphanage for boys runby the Catholic church. The me n (left to right) are MerVin Roberts, SpencerAppollonio, Art MacKay. Chapman, and Father Joseph, director of,the orphanage. Inthe front are three nuns Who are committed to live and wor!< In poverty.(above) This woman, posed here with her two sons, lost her husband, a fisherman,at sea.

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community aquaculture development in india

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