Southern States - Kerala-Thiruvananthapuram

Study lauds in-built security in fishing industry

By C.V. Gopalakrishnan

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM. June 23. The "largely people-centred'' aspect for those involved in harvesting, processing and marketing of fish ensures security in Kerala and it must, therefore, be regarded as a strength rather than a weakness, says a case study carried out recently. (The study, however, does not mention whether this had ever been considered a "weakness" to call for such a comment). It points out that though only a small proportion of Kerala's fishing community is involved in the labour process to harvest the resources of it, the jobs involved in the marketing of the same have created a socio-cultural pattern to ensure that the benefits accruing from it are spread as widely as possible in the communities living in the fishing villages. These communities, which do not go to sea, include widows, the physically handicapped, others temporarily maimed from accidents at sea and those like barbers providing services. This is an illustration of "built-in community care and social security measure for ensuring basic food and livelihood security''. The spell of the sea on the fishing folk of Kerala that can be seen from the study recalls the lines, "I must down to the seas again, to the lonely sea and the sky'', sung by a sailor in the old poem, `The Sea Fever', by John Masefield.

Kerala's traditional fishing industry, which has evolved as an artisan-oriented enterprise because of the skills required for building fishing craft and nets, should actually be regarded as providing the potential for closer collaboration between artisans and the new entrants trained in modern scientific methods. "Interactions between fishermen and marine biologists, oceanographers, craft and gear technologists point to the exciting possibilities of undertaking a co-evolutionary development process'' and there is no question of modern technology displacing the artisans. Modern technology should actually gain from its understanding of "how fishermen acquire their holistic knowledge of the sea and the living resources in it. Blending of traditional and modern science and technology can help retain the decentralised small-scale and the vibrant operations and technological diversity'' instead of allowing the present over-commercialisation of the fishing industry to "rob it of certain built-in social security nets''.

The all-inclusive participatory aspect of Kerala's fishing industry can be seen from the shore-based community that helps with the launching and beaching of the fishing boats. It is estimated that 5 to 7 per cent of catch from a fishing trip is set aside to take care of the food needs of the fishing communities with the rest being despatched to the market. The communally integrating feature of the fishing industry can be seen in that the women of Hindu and Christian families that own of fishing equipment take charge of the cash proceeds from the sale of fish while the Muslims take part in the shore-processing activities, The shore-based activity, known as `karanila' system, says the study, "is an illustrative example of how income sharing systems have evolved in the context of changes in production relations and technology, keeping community concerns for livelihood and nutritional securitty at centre-stage''. Muslim fishermen, however, dominate the northern region of Kerala, which has distinct Arab influences. The boat seines used by Christian fishermen in Thiruvananthapuram distict in the southern region are and their dip nets are respectively of Portuguese and Chinese origins.

The 600-km. coastline of Kerala has at least 14 types of fishing craft and about 23 types of fishing gear. The fishing gears are marked by their diversity of fabrication, passivity in use, seasonality of operation and size limitations. Higher productivity requires the deployment of several types of fishing gear, each suited to the specific specie to be caught during a specific season. The 22 major craft-gear combinations of the Kerala fishing folk had until recently accounted for more than 70 per cent of the annual fish harvest of about 4,00,000 tonnes.

The later introduction of mechanised trawlers and purse seines with new craft designs that reduce gear diversity have resulted in overcapitalisation of the fishing industry.

It has also led to an excessive energy intensity of fishing operations and made them economically unsustainable apart from their having a possible adverse ecological impact.

The study, `Factoring Social and Cultural Dimensions into Food and Livelihood Security Issues of Marine Fisheries', is authored by John Kurien.

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