THE LIVILIHOOD STRUGGLES OF ARTISANAL FISHERFOLK OF KERALA

Russel Ignatius Beero (russelignatius@gmail.com)

Manonmaniam Sundaranar UniversityGuided by: Dr. A. Thomas William

THE LIVILIHOOD STRUGGLES OF ARTISANAL FISHERFOLK OF KERALA In this article an attempt is made to study

the peculiarities of artisanal fisher folk of Kerala and their livelihood issues, in the changing scenario of modernization of fishery sectors with the introduction of trawling and other artificial methods of fishing which endanger their very ethos and livelihood possibilities. We travel through their rough tides of struggles to protect their livelihood and suggesting serene possible solutions.

OVER VIEWKerala, God’s own country, has a coastal line of

590 km. length which is less than 10% of the country's total coastal line.

Fishing is the mainstay of about 3.6% of the State's population.

More than 9.29 lakhs fishermen comprising 7.20 lakhs (77.50%) in marine and 2.09 lakhs (22.50%) in inland sector are engaged in fishing.

Its water front contributes to about 25% of the country's fish catch, providing a livelihood to the State's fishing community.

DEFINTION OF TERMSArtisanal fishery is but a general term for

fishing techniques that are far from homogeneous. The design of the craft used along the coastline varies, being closely adapted to the physical geography of the coast and the habits of the fish.

The greatest asset of the fishermen of Kerala is their accumulated knowledge about fish, fish habits, waves, currents and stars which they have, through generations of learning by doing, handed down from generation to generation.

SITUATION OF THE STUDYSince ancient times, people inhabiting the

coastal belt have fished using primitive gear and vessels, mostly improvised.

Most of the artisanal fishing vessels land directly on the beach without benefit of port facilities.

Fishing craft and gear were mostly owned by the fishermen, who worked either alone or in family groups.

They were depending on the traditional technology of fishing and hence the fishing was limited to the near-shore waters. Because of less catch their earning was limited.

PROBLEMTheir literacy level was also very low. Most of

them lived in small huts, which very often got destroyed in heavy rain and sea erosion. In fact these people were depending on the sea for everything. If the sea is kind enough they flourish, otherwise they perish.

OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDYTo review the situation of artisanal fishermenStudy their problemsHighlight the impact of the so called

modernizationStruggles for livelihoodLivelihood security

Modernization of Kerala fisheries

Modernisation came with independent India's first Five Year Plan - the 'Indo-Norwegian Project' (INP) which commenced in three Quilon villages in 1952.

Mechanization of fishing vessels and use of synthetic gear materials brought in drastic changes in the coastal area.

Initially this mechanisation was in the form of motors for traditional craft, but this proved unsatisfactory to the Norwegians in the Kerala case and the INP development programs switched to European-type boats, with in-board motors.

Impacts of Trawling

The mechanization did not solve the socio-economic problems of fishing community, though it was aimed at that.

The fishing intensity by the trawlers affected the fish stocks in the inshore waters which eventually led to an overall decline in fish landings of the State.

Traditional fishermen were of the view that the depletion in the landing was caused by the operation of trawl net, purse seine and ring seine.

They demanded a total ban of these types of destructive gears at least during the monsoon period, which coincides with the spawning of many species of fishes and shrimps. The boat owners and the workers were fully against this view. These contradictions between the two groups led even to clashes and very often created law and order problems in the Kerala coasts.

The livelihood struggles

We can explain the struggle of artisanal fisher folk against trawling as falling into three important phases.

Firstly a formative period in the 1960s and 1970s when the fishers' organisations - at a district, state and national level - were being formed.

The second period was the period of agitation and struggle in the 1980s and into the 1990s as the fishers brought pressure on successive Kerala governments - and, on occasion, on the central government - to address their concerns.

The last period comes in the 1990s when the issues which the Kerala fishers had been fighting for increasingly become national issues.

Attempts to protect livelihood:

Realising the importance of conservation of the fishery resources and also for sustainable development and management of the fishery along the coast the Government of Kerala enacted the Kerala Marine Fisheries Regulation Act (1980). This Act empowers the State Government to restrict or prohibit:* Fishing within a specified area in the territorial waters of the sea using specified craft and gear,* The number of fishing vessels which may be used for fishing in any specified area in the territorial waters,* The catching of such species of fish and for such periods in any specified area,* Fishing by unlicensed vessels and * Registration and licensing of fishing vessels and cancellation, suspension and amendment of license already issued.

FINDINGS & SUGGESIONS 1) Indian coast is rich with fish wealth. So an overall assessment of the

total fishery sector has to be undertaken immediately. As per the assessment, a comprehensible ecosystemapproach to resource use and fisheries resource management is to be adopted

2) Increase Prime Minster’s Kerosene and Diesel assistance to fisheries sector.

3) State should phase out destructive gear, such as bottom trawling and assess and reduce over capacity.

4) State should encourage small scale, selective sustainable harvesting technologies to maintain employment opportunities within fishing communities.

5) The role of women in the economic activities of coastal fishing communities supplements region’s livelihood. The degradation of coastal eco systems and the displacement of fishing communities from their living spaces have adversely affected the workload and quality of life of women in the communities. Involvement of Self Help Groups and NGOs in this field can create more opportunities.

FINDINGS & SUGGESIONS6) Recognise the value of the work to develop a

database.7) Improve condition of work of women in fish

processing plants.8) Recognize the rigid enforcement of marine

boundaries in historic waters in relation to the communities that live and fish.

9) Coastal states with surplus resources should consider providing preferential access to such artisan or small-scale sea worthy fishing vessels subject to effective flag state control and response.

10) The specifications and licensing procedures should be maintained with.

FINDINGS & SUGGESIONS11) Steps are to be taken for the building up of marketing

infrastructure and its maintenance. So there should be initiatives from the Government to run the appropriate marketing mechanisms like fish outlets, processing plants etc.

12) There is an urgency to carry out sea-friendly fishery practises to be adopted soon.

13) To check irresponsible and harmful fishing, there should be a ‘community policy’ of the sea by the fishermen themselves, which would help the conservation techniques.

14) Unscientific and irresponsible fishing can be done away by educating the fishermen and urging them to have a meaningful approach towards the sea wealth.

15) Matsyafed and other cooperative societies should be depoliticised and they work for the betterment of the fisheries sector.

ConclusionFisher folk are no longer in a position to abandon

motorization and return to manually-propelled craft. They agree that motorized fishing is not inferior to manual fishing, but its main problem is the enormous cost. What the artisanal fisherman wants today is outside help that will free them from commission agents and debt, and introduce lower-cost fishing methods so that fishermen can avoid the burden of future debt. They expect outside help from the Indian government to rid them of commission agents, and from the scientific community to help find new, low-cost motorized fishing methods.