Protests, appeals: Why India's fishing communities are up in arms

Catch depleting as coastal infrastructure expands but there is no government, they say

“Baaghta kai, shaamil wha (why are you watching? Join us),” urged one of the many hoardings put up at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan, overlooking Fashion Street. People thronging the street shopping hotspot would take a long, hard look at it before moving on.

The desperate appeal in Marathi was made by fisher folk from Worli’s Lotus Jetty who had been on a relay hunger strike to protest the over "three-year delay" in registering their cooperative society. The registration would allow them to avail of a number of benefits under the Maharashtra Co-Operative Societies Act. The month-long strike ended recently after Chief Minister Eknath Shinde intervened and directed the fisheries department to register the society on priority.

“We have been struggling for something as basic as drinking water for nearly three years now. The (Mumbai) coastal road project has worsened our situation. The number of fish that we used to catch has gone down, and there is no compensation or subsidy from the government. The society was our last shot,” said Hassan, a fisherman at Lotus Jetty.

The fishing community’s grievances are not limited to one state. In the recent past, several states witnessed the community raising concern about their livelihood amid declining fish catch and expanding coastal infrastructure.

The Covid-19 pandemic added to the woes of fisher folk. According to the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology data published in 2020, Covid-19 inflicted a daily loss of Rs 224 crore on the marine fisheries sector. In such times, a majority of fishermen had to depend on central subsidies for sustenance.

India’s stand at WTO

The fisheries subsidies proposal at the WTO conference in June aimed to eliminate subsidies for illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, and promote sustainable fishing. India rejected the global fisheries agreement, saying it did not provide a level playing field to developing nations to address the aspirations of their traditional fisher folk.

“India has taken a strong position regarding the agreement. We are mindful of the fact that some advanced fishing nations give subsidies. Our subsidies are different. Our subsidies are for access to oceans. Our subsidies are to address poverty. It is to provide three square meals to fishermen. We didn’t budge on anything,” J Balaji, joint secretary, department of fisheries, told 'Business Standard'.

Small fishermen make up 67 per cent of the sector in India. Many of them are compelled to abandon traditional ways and join mechanised boats, which fetch them only a fraction of their earlier income. Nearly 40 per cent of people working in the sector are below the poverty line, earning a per capita income of Rs 33 per day in urban areas and Rs 27 in rural areas, according to the Institute of Social and Economic Change data of October 2021.

Setback from infra projects

Various infrastructure projects near seas or rivers cause a number of problems for fisher folk by impacting their fishing zones.

Just like the coastal road project in Mumbai, the Vizhinjam international seaport project in Kerala has triggered protests by fishermen, who fear large-scale coastal erosion and its adverse impact on their livelihoods. They are demanding compensation for the loss of homes and livelihood due to strong tidal waves, which they say have intensified because of the construction of the port. The Kerala government has set up a four-member panel to study whether the construction had caused coastal erosion.

“A majority of fishing centres in the country, especially in Gujarat, are unregistered. So when a development or industrial project is undertaken along the coast, permission is not sought from fishermen. Since these sites and fishermen are not registered, there is no compensation from either the government or the firm. So in most parts of India, and majorly in Gujarat, these fishermen are not provided any rehabilitation,” said Usmangani Sherasiya of the Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Sangathan, a local fishers’ union.

Some fishermen alleged that they were not getting benefits of government schemes meant to help the community during difficult times.

“The past three years have been tough. First, during the lockdown, we barely got any incentive from the state. We only got 5 kg rice and that too, only once. Then, Cyclone Tauktae destroyed our boats. Forget the small ones, even the big ones that cost over Rs 20 lakh were splintered. Only some of us got nearly Rs 25,000. We used this amount to pay off some of our debt and feed our families,” said Alam, a fisherman from the Koli community in Mumbai’s Bandra.

Govt initiatives

Balaji, however, said the government had provided various amenities to fishermen. “If we look at the PMSSY (Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana), it focuses on a number of things. Something like infrastructure is for everybody. If a harbor is made, it is used by small and large fishermen alike. We have 1,500 landing centres in our country. We have been able to reach 300-400 centres in two years. It is a continuous process. We have provided small fishermen a number of amenities. Contrary to what people are saying, the scheme is viewed to be in favour of small fishermen,” said Balaji.

Grievance redressal has been another issue. Hence, the government is looking to create an app to address the challenge.

“A lot of states have their own systems to address issues. Local grievances are not brought much to the Union level. But yes, we are working on a database. Formalisation of the sector is most important. Once it gets formalised, the credit flow will increase. Some states have databases for coastal fishermen. For inland fishermen though, there is no database and we are working on it. Hopefully, by December, we will have a national level app for these issues,” said Balaji.