Hard times for India's fisherfolk
August 2002 -
More than two crore traditional fish-workers, living in
400 coastal blocks spread over ten coastal states in the country, are on an
agitation to demand implementation of their 42-point charter of demands. These
are agreements that have already been reached between different governments and
the National Fish-workers’ Forum, as well as cabinet decisions or recommendations
of different commissions and high-powered committees. Among these, the
prominent demands are the implementation of 21 recommendations of Murari
Committee, which were approved by the central cabinet on 27 September 1996.
Among the major recommendations of
the Murari Committee were:
- ensuring an adequate supply of fuel at subsidised rates to fisherfolk
- the formulation of marine fishing regulations in the entire Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ),
- an end to joint ventures with foreign entities, and banning foreign fishing vessels from Indian waters
- the establishment of a fisheries ministry at the centre.
- the withdrawal of Aquaculture Authority Bill;
- implementation of Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) notification and ensuring “traditional and customary right of the fishing community” in the coastal zone;
- an end to legislative attempts to dilute CRZ notification through amendments and an end to attempts to displace fisher people from coastal zone and islands like Jambu and Khirisai of Orissa;
- cancelling all the fishing licences to foreign vessels issued by the commerce ministry and enacting legislation to give the right to own and manage water bodies; fish resources and fishing implements to the fishing communities that depend on them for livelihood.
According to Harekrushna Debnath,
chairperson of NFF and general secretary of World Forum of Fisher People
(WFFP), the “do or die” agitation has already begun. Beginning on 1 May, a mass
rally was led along the coastline of the country, in two jeep caravans. The
rally culminated in Thiruvananthapuram on 14 May 2002, and covered all the 10
coastal states, followed by street corner meetings, public meetings and state
level seminars. Debnath further stated that, like land reforms, there should be
aquatic reforms in the country to give fishworkers the right to own and manage
water bodies, sea, river, lakes, lagoons and dams, apart from owning and
managing fishing implements, boats, nets and the distribution of fish. In
addition, there should be a proper fisheries management policy to include the
fishing community for the conservation of resources and marine ecology and to
tackle increasing corporatisation.
The struggle for a Marine Fishing
Regulation Act (MFRA) and its implementation has been a long-standing one.
Though the Mazumdar Committee recommended that parliament should enact the MFRA
in 1978, this has not been done even to this day. Instead, the Marine Fishing
Regulation Model Bill was sent to the states to enact the same. The response
from the coastal states has not served the intended purpose. The Murari
Committee recommended that the Marine Fishing Regulation should be regulated by
legislation enacted by the parliament.
On 27 December 1997, the union
cabinet decided to accept 21 recommendations of the Murari Committee, but the
central government has not shown any interest in implementing them.
Subsequently, many agitations took place demanding diesel and kerosene at a
subsidised rates, the implementation of the supreme court judgement on
aquaculture, the cancellation of all the licenses given to joint venture
fishing vessels, and and action on a number of written agreements signed
between the ministries concerned and the NFF which the government had failed to
implement. Fishing communities blame the government's inaction on all these
fronts for their increasing poverty.
With liberalisation gaining
momentum, the commerce ministry has withdrawn trade barriers. Due to the open
general import of trawlers (fishing vessels), 27 vessels have been bought by
Indian companies. Besides, 69 fishing vessels have been permitted to venture in
Indian seas – 39 through joint ventures and the rest as leased vessels. The
government is thus again giving permission to foreign shipping vessels, despite
violent protests by Indian fishing organisations and opposition parties. The
commerce minister claims that this is done as per WTO rules. When the question
was raised before the trade minister of the European Union during the WTO meet
in Doha, he publicly denied any such WTO regulations. The commerce ministry's
actions also run counter to the recommendations of the ministry of agriculture.
Significantly, while the first
decision of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority was to remove all
the impediments to the construction of houses by the fishing communities, this
has not been done to date! "What is the use of such an authority?"
asks K Alleya, secretary of an association of traditional marine fishermen.
According to him the livelihoods of those in coastal arears is controlled by
the ministry of environment and forest, which is trying to dilute the CRZ
notification by removing all prohibitions one by one. "The tourism lobby
is creating havoc throughout the coast. It has to be stopped. Traditional and
habitual rights over the coast for fishing communities should be established.
Hence, the privatising of the coast for different reasons should be stopped
along with the removal of sand for commercial purposes. The environmental
protection act of 1986 was meant to protect the environment. It was for this
purpose that the CRZ notification was issued in 1991 to protect the coast, the
sea and the fishing communities that depend on them".
The ministry of environment and
forests has declared 60 species of fish as endangered under the Wildlife
Protection Act. Traditional fisherfolk lack the technology to catch fish
leaving out these species. Once they are caught they have to be thrown out, in
order to escape arrest by the police. Thus, catching of the banned species
continues at considerable loss. Coastal communities argue, also, that species
that are landed in large quantities, and which have not shown any declining
trend so far cannot be considered endangered or threatened!
A good quantity of seashells are
also obtained during fishing. When they reach the beaches of Tamil Nadu, the
living matter in them is dead. A ban which effectively disallows the collection
and use of such material that reaches the shore makes no sense. "It is
absurd that the central government takes recourse to the Wildlife Protection
Act instead of having a marine fishing regulation in coastal economic
zones", argues Kusa Behera, a human rights student of Berhampur
University. According to him, “Let the Wildlife Protection Act be used to
protect the forest, and marine fishing regulation in the EEZ protect life in
the waters of the sea.” Behera further added that over-exploitation by highly effective
mechanised fleets (foreign trawlers and super vessels) cause serious depletion
of catch per unit for the traditional marine fisherman.
Similarly, the risks involved in the
sea for fisherfolk are increasing due to cyclones and other natural calamities.
Millions of them have been rendered homeless and have lost their boats and
nets, following the super-cyclone that struck the Orissa coast in October 1999.
"But they have yet not received cyclone compensation", said Narayana
Haldar of Mahakalapada village of Orissa’s cyclone-affected Kendrapara
district. With no alternative employment, thousands of them are living in
conditions of semi-starvation and thereby facing an uncertain future.
"There is a need for a sea-safety mechanism and a long-term action plan to
restore their livelihood", argue experts.
With the union government unyielding
in its stand, the NFF is all set to involve millions of fisherfolk in their
ongoing resistance movement countrywide. More troubled waters lie ahead.
Sudarshan Chhotoray
August 2002
August 2002
Sudarshan Chhotoray is a freelance journalist based in Bhubaneswar, Orissa.
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