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Marine

Research and Management

Editors

V.N. Pillai and N.G. Menon

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

(Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Tatapuram P.O., Cochin-682 014

Kerala, India

2000

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60 Socio-economic analysis of marine fishermen in India

R. Narayana Kumar, K.K.P. Panikkar, D.B.S. Sehara and R. Sathiadhas

ABSTRACT

The socio-economic conditions of the marine fishermen and their attitude towards development schemes will serve as back ground information which is vital for implementing new technolo- gies and policies. With this view in focus, the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute has been continuously monitoring the socio-economic conditions of the traditional fishermen and con- ducted several studies along the coastal belt to assess the existing socio-economic status and to evaluate the socio-economic impact of innovations on them. In this paper, the socio-economic parameters such as family size, age structure, educational and occupational pattern, customs, beliefs and the standard of living of the coastal fishermen household have been analysed. In the socio-economic

impact evaluation studies, the changes that have been brought about by the mechanisation of fishing industry in terms of income and employment generation and investment on fishing equipments have been discussed. The recommendations to Unprove the socio- economic conditions of the niarine fishermen based on the studies haue been proposed.

Introduction

The overall development of m a r i n e fisheries in India d e p e n d s on the rational exploitation of the potential yield in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (which is about 2.02 million sq. km) a n d the successful c u l t u r e of finfishes and shellfishes. Besides increasing fish production to the maximum the fisheries development should aim at raising nutritional level of the peo- ple a n d improving the socio-economic condition of the fishermen. The ma- rine fishermen in India, in general, are socially and economically backward.

Hence, any innovation in marine fisheries including new technologies besides

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Marine Fisheries Researcli and Management

increasing the yield from c a p t u r e and culture sector, should be economically and technically efficient a n d socially acceptable. Any sort of technological innovation, financial scheme or m a n a g e m e n t practice needs to be analysed to a s s e s s its socio-economic, environmental and ecological Impact. The study of socio-economic p a r a m e t e r s s u c h a s family size, age s t r u c t u r e , employ- m e n t potentials, education and living s t a n d a r d s of fishermen will help to identify the c o n s t r a i n t s obstructing the realisation of full potential of devel- opment schemes and adoption of new technologies. The s t u d i e s conducted by the CMFRI on soclo-economlcs are discussed u n d e r two h e a d i n g s viz a) A s s e s s m e n t of socio-economic p a r a m e t e r s a n d b) Impact of innovations on

fishermen economy and the r e s u l t s are presented here.

Materials and m e t h o d s

The d a t a collection for conducting the socio-economic survey was car- ried out using three types of s c h e d u l e s . The first schedule was used to sur- vey on village particulars s u c h as geographical area, population, n u m b e r of households and infrastructure facilities like cold storage, boat repairing yards, peeling s h e d s and related a s p e c t s . The second schedule was used to collect data from fishermen household on particulars relating to family details such as family size, literacy, n u m b e r of p e r s o n s engaged in fishing and related activities, n u m b e r of crafts a n d gears possessed a n d their income. The third schedule was used to collect monthly data on sample h o u s e h o l d s represent- ing different occupation groups a b o u t their Income and expenditure p a t t e r n . The various terminologies used in the socio-economic s t u d i e s are given be- low:

1. Fishermen household: Any household, wherein atleast one member of family is engaged either in fishing or fishing related activities.

2. Types of h o u s e s

(a) Hut: A dwelling with thatched roof and having either a mud wall or an enclosure made of 'thattls'.

(b) Kutcha h o u s e : A dwelling with t h a t c h e d roof and a brick wall (c) Pucca h o u s e : A dwelling with tiled roof and brick wall.

(d) Mansion : A dwelling having a concrete roof.

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^ Socio-economic analysla of marine flghermen in India 3. Educational s t a t u s

(a) primary : those who have p a s s e d 5th s t a n d a r d (b) Middle : Those who have p a s s e d 8 t h s t a n d a r d (c) secondary : Those who have p a s s e d 10th s t a n d a r d

(d) Higher secondary a n d above: Those who have p a s s e d higher secondary exams a n d t a k e n to higher c o u r s e s .

4. Major occupation; Occupation which brings more t h a n 50% of the h o u s e h o l d s income.

5. Work force: Persons available for employment, excluding children be- low 12 years, those above 60 years and s t u d e n t s .

6. Fishery a n d related activities: Those who are engaged in fish trading, net m a k i n g / r e p a i r i n g , curing and processing and boat b u i l d i n g / r e p a i r - ing come u n d e r this category.

A s s e s s m e n t of s o c i o - e c o n o m i c parameters

Fisheries in India, s u p p o r t s the livelihood of a b o u t 10 million people.

One of the objectives of fisheries development programmes is to Improve the socio-economic condition of the fishermen in t e r m s of education, health, in- come and s t a n d a r d of living.

During 1980, In Calicut region, the socio-economic conditions of the fishermen In P u t h i a p p a - P u t h i a n g a d i and E l a t h u r were studied. In P u t h l a p p a - P u t h l a n g a d i region, the size of the fishermen family was large (9.0) a s com- pared to n o n fishermen family (6.6), b e c a u s e of the joint family system. In E l a t h u r , the size of the fishermen a n d non-fishermen family was 7.8 a n d 6.2 respectively. In P u t h i a p p a - P u t h i a n g a d i area, 65.6% of the families were en- gaged in fishing whereas in E l a t h u r 47% were engaged in fishing. The pro- portion of people earning an a n n u a l income between Rs. 501 to Rs. 1000 was 22% in P u t h i a p p a - P u t h i a n g a d i area and 82% In E l a t h u r a r e a . In P u t h i a p p a - P u t h i a n g a d i 12% of the fishermen household received a n a n n u a l income be- tween Rs.3000 and Rs. 10,000 while in E l a t h u r only 5% of the fishermen were u n d e r t h i s Income b r a c k e t . In P u t h i a p p a - P u t h i a n g a d i , 7 5 % of the fishermen families were Indebted and In E l a t h u r village only 9% were indebted.

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Marine Figherieg Research and Management

During 1983, the economic condition of the fishermen In some selected villages of M a h a r a s h t r a a n d Gujarat were evaluated. The Illiteracy rate ranged from 48 to 7 5 % and among the literates majority had primary education only.

The size of the family was 7-8 a n d the earning m e m b e r s in different catego- ries were 40-59%. The n u m b e r of a n n u a l fishing days ranged from 200 to 244. The average a n n u a l net fishery income for mechanised group, non-mecha- nised group, gear owners, fishery and allied group was Rs. 10000, Rs. 4500, Rs. 3 8 0 0 and Rs. 3500 respectively In M a h a r a s h t r a and Rs. 12000, Rs. 5600, Rs. 4400 and Rs. 3 5 0 0 respectively In Gujarat. Significant difference in an- n u a l Income w a s observed between categories and between villages. For dif- ferent categories 5 3 - 9 1 % of the total Income in M a h a r a s h t r a and 5 7 - 9 1 % in Gujarat were obtained from fishery. The proportion of total income s p e n t on household items ranged from 60 to 94% in M a h a r a s h t r a a n d 57 to 9 3 % in Gujarat. In M a h a r a s h t r a , 62-84% and in Gujrat 58-78% of the total n u m b e r of families in different categories were indebted. The average o u t s t a n d i n g loan per family was a b o u t Rs. 4 0 0 0 in M a h a r a s h t r a and Rs. 3 0 0 0 in Gujarat.

The regression analysis showed t h a t one rupee increase in operational fish- ing expenditure was responsible for Rs. 0.15 a n d Rs. 0.13 i n c r e a s e in net fishery Income in M a h a r a s h t r a and Gujarat respectively.

Another study conducted during 1982-83 in Tirunelveli Coast of Tamil Nadu to find out the socio-economic characteristics of fishermen a n d to a s - s e s s the extent of capital investment on m e a n s of production,fishing Income, level of income and credit utilisation p a t t e r n indicated t h a t the socio-eco- nomic s t a t u s of the fishermen was low. The average a n n u a l income of a fish- ermen household was Rs. 4 8 8 6 with a per capita income of Rs. 8 6 9 . The literacy r a t e was 2 8 % only, m u c h below the State average of 4 6 % (1981 Cen- sus). The percentage of people involved in traditional fishing w a s only 3 1 % against the State average of 36% . About 5 5 % of the people had no m e a n s of production s u c h a s craft a n d gear a n d the private money lenders dominated in financing the fishermen accounting for a b o u t 66% of the loan advanced to them.

Another socio-economic study conducted during 1984-85 along the Ma- d r a s Coast, showed t h a t most of the fishermen -90% in Thiruvottlyurkuppam and 6 6 % in P u d u m a n l k u p p a m -were living In h u t s . The proportion of illiter- ates was 67% in P u d u m a n l k u p p a m a n d 4 7 % in T h i r u v o t t l y u r k u p p a m . About 60% ofthe fishermen in P u d u m a n l k u p p a m and 56% In Thiruvottlyurkuppam

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Socto-economlc analysla of marine fishermen in India were engaged in active fishing. The fishermen of T h i r u v o t t i y u r k u p p a m com- pletely depended on indigenous fishing whereas in P u d u m a n l k u p p a m the fish- ermen depended on traditional and m e c h a n i s e d fishing. The average a n n u a l i n c o m e of t h e f i s h e r m e n h o u s e h o l d w a s w o r k e d o u t a t R s . 7 6 0 0 a t P u d u m a n l k u p p a m and Rs. 4 5 0 0 at Thiruvottiyurkuppam. The daily h o u s e - hold expenditure worked out a t Rs. 21 for c a t a m a r a n owners, Rs. 15 for wage e a r n e r s a n d Rs 16 for families engaged in fishery r e l a t e d a c t i v i t i e s in P u d u m a n l k u p p a m w h e r e a s the corresponding figures for the s a m e categories In Thiruvottiyurkuppam worked out at Rs. 17, Rs. 11 a n d Rs. 12 respectively.

47% of the households in P u d u m a n l k u p p a m and 42% in Thiruvottiyurkuppam were Indebted. The role of cooperatives and commercial b a n k s in supplying credit was found to be negligible.

During 1987-88, In Porbunder of Gujarat a b o u t 1000 famiUes were re- siding with a population of 7,800. The general amenities in fishermen village could be easily graded as good. The National Cooperative Development Cor- poration a n d fish t r a d e r s were the major sources of finance. The average initial i n v e s t m e n t on a trawler was worked out at Rs. 4.04 lakh with a n an- n u a l fixed cost of Rs. 1,27,000. The gross revenue of a trawl u n i t w a s worked out a t Rs. 4 , 5 3 , 6 3 8 and the net over operating expenses Income at Rs. 1.5 l a k h . The rate of r e t u r n to capital was 18% and the pay b a c k period was worked out at 6 years. The cost of production per kg offish w a s Rs. 6.36 a n d the n e t profit margin was Rs. 0.33 per kg. Some of t h e Important observa- tions included the slow pace of m e c h a n i s a t i o n d u e to lack of i n s t i t u t i o n a l s u p p o r t from the government, conflicts between the Indian and Pakistani fish- ermen in the Kutclj region and poor participation of women in fishery activi- ties.

The s t u d y conducted during 1989-90 to evaluate the socio-economic condition of traditional"fishermen living along the Thanjavur Coast of Tamil Nadu indicated t h a t most of the fishermen were living in temporary s t r u c - t u r e s like kutcha h o u s e s and h u t s . The average a n n u a l Income of a fisher- m a n h o u s e h o l d was worked out at Rs. 11,778 at Malllpattinam a n d Rs. 8,074 a t K e e c h a n k u p p a m , with the per capita Income of Rs. 2 3 5 6 a n d Rs. 1615 respectively. The literacy rate in both the centres was less t h a n 20% which was well below the State average of 4 6 % (1981 Census). The working popula- tion was worked out at 30% in Malllpattinam and 32% at K e e c h a n k u p p a m . Institutional financial s u p p o r t was found to be i n a d e q u a t e since 54-60% of

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Marine FUherieg Research and Management

the loan was advanced by the private money lenders. A critical analysis of t h e e x p e n d i t u r e p a t t e r n r e v e a l e d t h a t 5 8 % of t h e family i n c o m e in Mallipattinam and 82% in K e e c h a n k u p a m villages was s p e n t on food.

Orissa government started a massive prawn farming programme In 1982- 83 by which it distributed 0.2 hectare of water a r e a for prawn c u l t u r e to se- lected beneficiaries. Under Economic Rehabilitation for Rural Poor Programme the ponds were provided to the beneficiaries in Ganjam a n d Purl Districts of Orissa. The survey was conducted in seven clusters: five in Ganjam District and two In Purl District covering 70% of the beneficiaries. The average family size of t h e beneficiaries w a s 6.7. The literacy level ranged from 2 1 % in M u d i r a t h a to 7 1 . 3 % in Haripur and the average literacy level of the benefici- aries was comparatively higher t h a n t h a t of the Orissa State. The percentage of workers to total population ranged from 16.4 in G o p a k u n d a in Ganjim District to 30.4 for Madiratha in Purl District. The percentage of working population to total a d u l t s ranged from 31 to 5 1 . The literates were r e l u c t a n t to work a s agricultural labourers and were engaged in non-fishery activities.

But after the introduction of ERRP programme all the a d u l t s in the families including women (not otherwise employed) participated in the prawn farming activities. Many social problems developed b e c a u s e of the introduction of prawn farming. Initially the landless l a b o u r e r s who were given the p o n d s on long term lease faced managerial problems due to lack of experience a n d con- ventional a p p r o a c h to prawn farming a s b u s i n e s s . The remoteness of the farms led to the dislocation of the families a n d affected the education of their children. In addition to this, the lack of a d e q u a t e t r a n s p o r t a n d communica- tion facilities resulted In poor marketing of p r a w n s . The cost of production per kg of prawn was m a x i m u m {Rs. 113) in Blnchinapalli cluster of Ganjam District and minimum (Rs. 39.39) in J a n i c u d a cluster of Purl District. The high level of unit cost in Ganjam District was a t t r i b u t e d to low level of pro- ductivity as compared to Puri District. The average gross income per crop per pond was worked out a t Rs. 2 5 3 0 In Puri District a n d Rs. 1432 in Ganjam District. The r e t u r n s to labour a s s u m e s more importance here because this programme w a s mainly aimed at landless l a b o u r e r s . In Puri District the re- t u r n s to labour was higher t h a n the opportunity cost of Rs. 1 0 / m a n / day w h e r e a s in Ganjam District in some clusters it was less t h a n the opportunity cost which was a t t r i b u t e d to low productivity.

The average family size in P o o n t h u r a village n e a r T h l r u v a n a t h a p u r a m

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Socio-economic analysis of marine fishermen in India in 1985 w a s 6.3 and a b o u t 69% of the families were living in h u t s . The ht- eracy rate was 46% and 89% of the literates had education u p t o primary stand- ard only. The working population w a s worked out a t 3 6 % of which 2 9 % were women engaged in n e t m a k i n g / r e p a i r i n g and fish processing. About 64% of the workers were active fishermen of which 62% were owner operators, 4%

non-operating owners a n d the rest wage e a r n e r s . The analysis of ownership and i n v e s t m e n t p a t t e r n indicated t h a t , 66% of fishermen h o u s e h o l d s h a d ownership of m e a n s of production. About 2 8 % of the fishermen h o u s e h o l d s h a d invested less t h a n Rs. 3000 In fishing implements w h e r e a s 17% h a d Invested between Rs. 5000 a n d Rs. 7000. It was found t h a t 70% of the own- ers h a d invested less t h a n Rs. 10000 on fishing e q u i p m e n t s . The average a n n u a l net income of a fishermen household In P o o n t h u r a village was worked out a t Rs. 11,603 a n d the per capita Income being Rs. 1,56. Among the own- ers of canoes a n d c a t a m a r a n s , the majority have earned an a n n u a l income in the r a n g e of Rs. 9 0 0 0 to Rs. 2 2 0 0 0 a n d among the wage e a r n e r s t h e majority had income range of Rs. 7 0 0 0 - 1 2 0 0 0 . The average a n n u a l income of the owner operators was Rs. 12185, wage e a r n e r s , Rs. 9130 and families en- gaged in fishery related activities, Rs. 8 2 0 0 . It was found t h a t a b o u t 50% of the fishermen families were in debt and the o u t s t a n d i n g debt per family aver- aged Rs. 9 0 2 2 . Financial s u p p o r t t h r o u g h Institutional agencies w a s only 2 3 % a n d the rest were financed by money lenders, boat owners a n d fish mer- c h a n t s . The analysis of credit utilisation p a t t e r n revealed t h a t a b o u t 62% of the loan a m o u n t w a s utilised for Investment p u r p o s e of which 54% w a s in- vested on fishing e q u i p m e n t s . The average a n n u a l expenditure of the fisher- men family in P o o n t h u r a worked out a t Rs. 10598 a n d 7 5 % of the family income was s p e n t on food alone.

The average family size in 1992 In E r n a k u l a m District of Kerala w a s 7.7, 5.5 a n d 5.6 for marginal, small a n d large fish farmers respectively. The lit- eracy level of the marginal farmers w a s less t h a n high school qualification while 6% of the small farmers were g r a d u a t e s and p o s t - g r a d u a t e s . Most of the marginal farmers a n d about one-third of small farmers were dwelling in kutcha h o u s e s . Most of the fish farmers have t a k e n the p o n d s on lease at the rate of a b o u t Rs. 10000 per h e c t a r e . Prawn farming contributed a b o u t 80%

of the a n n u a l gross income of small a n d marginal farms. The n e t r e t u r n per acre w a s worked out at Rs. 3610 for small farms, R s . l 3 7 7 for marginal farms a n d Rs. 241 for large farms. The production function analysis showed t h a t critical i n p u t s s u c h a s seed and labour had been u n d e r utilized and t h a t

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

the s a m e can be e n h a n c e d to 3-4 times to get m a x i m u m profitable level of o u t p u t .

A socio-economic survey conducted for t h e Development and Educa- t i o n a l C o m m u n i c a t i o n Unit (DECU) of S p a c e A p p l i c a t i o n C e n t r e (SAC), Ahemadabad during 1995 in the two b r a c k i s h water sites. Kodungallur and Mulavugadu in Kerala identified by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), u s i n g satellite i m a g e r i e s to s t u d y the feasibility of e s t a b l i s h i n g a q u a c u l t u r e farms on a cooperative b a s i s Indicated a high literacy rate of 85-90%. Mulavugadu had a high proportion of young and middle age group populace which is said to be conducive for adoption of any technology. Fish- ing w a s t h e major occupation and a b o u t 70% of t h e sample r e s p o n d e n t s were dwelling in kutcha h o u s e s in both the selected sites. Most of the sample re- s p o n d e n t s (90% in Kodungallur a n d 8 3 % in Mulavugadu) were owning a land area of less t h a n 2 5 c e n t s . There was a significant difference in income levels between the fishermen of the two sites. In Kodungallur 62% of the h o u s e - holds earned a n a n n u a l Income below Rs. 2 5 0 0 0 w h e r e a s in Mulavugadu 8 5 % got a n a n n u a l Income in the range of Rs. 25000 - 50000. This high level of income offish farmers in Mulavugadu might be due to their proximity to Cochin city which offers a d e q u a t e j o b opportunities, s u b s t a n t i a l n u m b e r of fisher- men practicing traditional prawn farming and good r e m u n e r a t i o n obtained from b r a c k i s h w a t e r fish farming. The r e s p o n d e n t s expressed their willing- n e s s to form b r a c k i s h w a t e r fisheries cooperatives to u n d e r t a k e this proposed s c h e m e .

Impact of i n n o v a t i o n s on fisliermen e c o n o m y

Mechanisation of fishing fleet could increase the yield b u t at t h e same time It seriously affected the employment s t a t u s and Income level of artisanal fishermen who depend wholly on indigenous crafts a n d gears. Their prob- lems should be looked Into from socio-economic point of view.

A study u n d e r t a k e n in K a r n a t a k a in 1978 to a s s e s s the socio-economic impact of m e c h a n i s a t i o n on traditional fishermen operating rampant gear revealed t h a t the introduction of commercial p u r s e s e i n e r s had affected the rampant operation. The n u m b e r of rampani n e t s operating in S o u t h Kanara District declined from 75 in 1977 to 30 In 1979 a n d a marginal reduction was observed in North Kanara District. About 14% of the active fishermen en- gaged in rampani operation were thrown o u t of employment during 1978-79

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Soclo-economtc analysis of marine flshermen In India a s compared to 1977-78. The average a n n u a l revenue received by a rampani u n i t dechned from Rs, 2.7 l a k h s in 1977 to Rs, 13,000 in the first half of

1979, B u t in North Kanara District, the e a r n i n g s from rampani remained more or less s a m e b e c a u s e only a limited n u m b e r of p u r s e s e i n e r s were oper- ating in t h e region. The a n n u a l per capita revenue of a rampani u n i t declined from a b o u t Rs. 3 3 7 0 in 1977 to Rs. 3 0 0 - 4 0 0 in 1979 i.e. one-eighth of the Income received earlier. A reduction of employment in rampani u n i t s w a s observed from 6 0 0 0 (in 75 units) in 1979 to 2400 {In 30 units) In 1979. Hence, the Introduction of commercial p u r s e seiners h a s adversely affected the tradi- tional rampant operation. In S a k t h i k u l a n g a r a a n d Neendakara of Kerala, the proportion of kutcha h o u s e s h a d decreased from 44% in S a k t h i k u l a n g a r a a n d 29% in N e e n d a k a r a in 1954 to 16% In b o t h the places in 1980, The propor- tion of pucca h o u s e s a n d m a n s i o n s h a d i n c r e a s e d from 9% to 5 1 % In S a k t h i k u l a n g a r a a n d 6% to 2 0 % in Neendakra. There h a d been a t h r e e a n d half times increase in the employment opportunities In fishing a n d fishery activities. The n u m b e r of n o n - m e c h a n i s e d crafts had declined from 4 9 3 In

1953 to 2 1 4 In 1980 a n d the n u m b e r of m e c h a n i s e d b o a t s h a d increased from 138 In 1963 to 336 in 1980. There h a d been a considerable improve- m e n t in i n f r a - s t r u c t u r a l facilities with the expansion of ice production capac- ity from 2 5 t to 350 t a n d freezing capacity per day from 9 t to 7 5 t between

1963 and 1980. The Income h a d Increased from Rs, 624 in 1954 to Rs. 4 9 7 5 in 1980 showing a n eight fold Increase. The benefits of m e c h a n i s e d fishing were found to be more in Sakthlkularigara t h a n in Neendakara, b e c a u s e of the c o n c e n t r a t i o n of developmental activities at the former.

Another socio-economic survey conducted during 1981 covering 4 1 land- ing c e n t r e s between Quilon and Manjeshwar in Kerala State to find the Im- pact of p u r s e seine operations on the indigenous fisheries, indicated t h a t heavy landings by p u r s e s e i n e r s at Cochin a n d Mangalore were lifted by t r u c k s a n d t r a n s p o r t e d to various p a r t s of the State. This h a d a t t r a c t e d the h e a d load and bicycle v e n d o r s to wait for these t r u c k s a n d they didn't go to landing c e n t r e s to g e t t h e c a t c h from c o u n t r y c r a f t s , w h i c h w e r e I r r e g u l a r , u n d e p e n d a b l e a n d providing small q u a n t i t y of catch. The introduction of p u r s e seine h a d also affected the catch of country crafts. About 10% of the active fishermen shifted from marine fishing to backwater fishing art least temporarily. The a n n u a l average income of a fishermen family h a d been found to be reduced by a b o u t 50% in 1980 a s compared to 1979. About 250 tradi- tional fishermen were employed in p u r s e seiners in Cochin Fisheries Har- b o u r .

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

A study u n d e r t a k e n in Tlrunelveli a n d Kanyakumarl Districts of Tamil Nadu during 1981 to find t h e impact of m e c h a n i s a t i o n of indigenous crafts with out-board motors on the economy h a s shown t h a t In Tlrunelveli Dis- trict, the impact of mechanisation was not significant. The gears used by the fishermen in this area were driftnet a n d hooks & lines. In Kanyakumri Dis- trict, the gear used by motorlsed u n i t s was hook & line with the aid of artifi- cial b a i t s . The gross r e t u r n s of the motorlsed c a t a m a r a n s ranged from Rs.

100 to Rs. 2 0 0 0 per trip, with an average of Rs. 500. The average operational expenditure worked out a t Rs. 130 per trip. Due to motorisatlon, employment opportunities doubled since a motorised c a t a m a r a n requires 3 to 5 persons Instead of only two In n o n - m e c h a n i s e d u n i t s . There was no m a r k e t i n g prob- lem for disposal of catch. The fishermen reported t h a t they were able to re- cover 70% of the capital invested during the short s p a n of operation of five m o n t h s .

An a t t e m p t was made to analyse the problems of monsoon fishery and its socio-economic implications along the west coast of India d u r i n g 1992.

During monsoon s e a s o n ( J u n e to August) fishing a s a family occupation w a s at s u b s i s t e n c e level except for trawlers and glllnetters at a few c e n t r e s . The n u m b e r of mechanised u n i t s u n d e r operation is reduced to a b o u t 10% of the total u n i t s a n d n o n - m e c h a n i s e d including motorised to 2 5 % . The household income was low a s the employment reduced to 2 5 % d u r i n g monsoon. Con- s u m e r s h a d to pay high price for fishes, b u t t h e p r o d u c e r s ' s h a r e was low.

In K a r n a t a k a , a study on changes in the fishing crafts and gears used, showed t h a t rampani boats, dug-out canoes a n d outrigger b o a t s were used till seventies. In mid-seventies, the mechanised crafts a n d gears dominated the m a r i n e fishery resulting in d i s a p p e a r a n c e of rampani b o a t s b e s i d e s c a u s - ing a s t r u c t u r a l change in the socio-economic frame work of K a r n a t a k a ma- rine fishery. Before the large scale introduction of p u r s e seiners, fishing was done mostly by rampani at s u b s i s t e n c e level and village b a s e d operation; b u t after the introduction, m a r i n e fishing activity shifted to u r b a n landing cen- tres and 75% of the landings during the middle of eighties were from u r b a n landing c e n t r e s viz Mangalore, Malpe, GangoUi, Bhatkal, Tadri a n d Karwar.

Though t h i s change paved the way for all-round development of fishing in- d u s t r y in the area, the impact was felt only in u r b a n centres a n d the villages where rampani operation was in vogue, incurred a considerable loss in terms of income . The p u r s e seiners earned a n average a n n u a l net profit of about

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Socio-economic analysis of marine flghermen In India Rs. 1.3 l a k h s with 32% rate of r e t u r n to capital. The large scale motorisation revived t h e traditional fishing with increased tempo of gillnetters a n d intro- duction of new gears like mattubala . As a result the r u r a l landing centres have once again become busy. These developments have also improved the fish marketing system in the region.

A q u a c u l t u r e h a s gained m o m e n t u m in the coastal regions in the p a s t ten y e a r s and large scale e s t a b l i s h m e n t of a q u a c u l t u r e farms have come u p . The environmental and the socio-economic impact of s u c h s h r i m p farming were studied in the Nagapatinam District of Tamil Nadu d u r i n g September 1995. B e c a u s e of the commencement of s h r i m p farming, t h e land value h a d increased from a b o u t Rs 18000 to Rs 1.8 lakh registering 10 times increase in the last few years. The change of land ownership was a n o t h e r significant Impact. The r e a s o n s cited by the r e s p o n d e n t s for the sale of land Include the small size of land (20%), high price offered (40%), uneconomical crop p r o d u c - tion (30%) a n d lack of labour availability to cultivate crops (10%). The em- ployment generation capacity had considerably increased since t h e average labour r e q u i r e m e n t per hectare of paddy cultivation is a b o u t 180 days per year w h e r e a s in shrimp farming It provides a b o u t 600 labour days per crop.

In case of female labourer, there Is only a little scope in s h r i m p farms b u t they get good d e m a n d in paddy fields of the adjoining a r e a s . The establish- m e n t of a q u a f a r m s have created s u b s i d i a r y occupations s u c h a s catering, t r a n s p o r t and handling of construction materials a n d other related activities.

The average a n n u a l income of a shrimp farm labourer was worked o u t at Rs 12,000 a s a g a i n s t Rs 7,500 earned by a n agriculture farm labourer.

Future priorities and conclusion

The various s t u d i e s on the a s s e s s m e n t of socio-economic s t a t u s have described the living conditions, literacy level, income level a n d level of in- d e b t e d n e s s of fishermen families in different maritime S t a t e s a n d those will provide a vital background information. In addition to this, s t u d i e s explain- ing the r e a s o n s for the existing conditions i.e., analytical socio-economic s t u d - ies may be conducted in future.

Periodical monitoring of the socio-economic conditions of the marine fish- ermen at macro level in different maritime States may be u n d e r t a k e n which will help greatly in estimating the s u c c e s s a n d feasibility of any development p r o g r a m m e / s c h e m e drafted for them.

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Marine Figheries Re»earch and Management

The major missing link in the long range development process is lack of social a n d economic d a t a . Data on the s u r p l u s m a n power, marketing s t r u c - t u r e , level of knowledge, skill & education, social & cultural c o n s t r a i n t s , reli- gious implications and village leadership need to be collected t h r o u g h effi- cient surveys for further analysis.

Based on the s t u d i e s conducted in the field of socio-economics the fol- lowing suggestions are m a d e .

1. More a t t e n t i o n should be paid to e n h a n c e the literacy level of coastal population since the literacy rate, in general,is low.

2. In case of development of any innovation in m a r i n e fisheries, traditional fishermen be e n s u r e d of Its benefits in terms of employment a n d in- come generation.

3. Besides providing loan to procure m e a n s of production, t h e fishermen may be provided operational loan so t h a t they may n o t depend on pri- vate money lenders and fish m e r c h a n t s for meeting day to day opera- tional expenses.

4. Improvement in road t r a n s p o r t system in coastal regions will provide better price for catch to the fisherfolk.

5. Before providing s e g m e n t s of water a r e a s to fish farmers for fish/prawn culture they may be trained for successful adoption of a q u a c u l t u r e . 6. Small family n o r m s should be popularised by the Government since the

bigger n u m b e r of d e p e n d e n t s create poverty in fishermen community.

7. Since motorisation of country crafts h a s increased employment oppor- tunities in certain regions, it should be encouraged in other coastal regions also.

References

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