Fishing in Kerala
Kerala is the only region in India where fish resources are rich and no other state possesses fish workers as intelligent and work conscious as those in Kerala
Kerala is one of the leading maritime states in India. The state of Kerala situated in the south west part of peninsular India has a slender stretch of land with a long surf beaten coast on the western side and a lush green mountain range on the eastern side. The marine resources of Kerala are obtained from a coastline of 560km. The state has a geographical area of 388635km .The Kerala coast popularly known as Malabar Coast from very early times, provides one of the richest fishing zones in the world.
The coast of Kerala constitutes approximately 10 percent of India’s total coastline. The coast line of 560km and the Exclusive Economic zone (EEZ) extends up to 200 nautical miles far beyond the continental shelf, Which covers an area of 218536 sq km provide opportunities in traditional fishing in inshore waters from ages .The continental shelf area is 39139 sq km the area within the 18 m depth range accounts for 5000 sq km.
The marine potential of Kerala is enormous and only a small part of it is currently being exploited. In Kerala the marine waters offer a very lucrative fishery, south-west monsoon coupled with northwesterly winds and the oceanic currents cause upwelling along the coast which brings the nutrient rich deep waters to the surface, with flourishing primary production and followed by a good fishery. Kerala coast has major fisheries of the shrimps,cuttle fish,sardines,mackerels, anchovies, soles sharks, rays etc. On an average of 6.02 lakh tones of marine fish is produced annually by the state.
A lot of changes have taken place in the fisheries sector of Kerala. Primarily those happened in the catching strategy of which the most important one is the mechanization process. As a result the marine fisheries sector of Kerala was divided into two sectors, namely traditional and modern .The modern sector was introduced in 1953 at Neendakara–shakthikulangara region under the initiative of indo-Norwegian project (INP).The novel facilities introduced in fishing industry by indo-Norwegian project accordingly are mechanically operated new boats new fishing nets, and the Norwegian model ice factory with a cold storage plant. INP has introduced new methods of fish processing and forms of distribution. The successful trawl carried out at the fishing village of Kannamali in Eranakulam during 1979-80 attracted the fishermen community. soon after mechanization motorization programme gained momentum kerala especially in AlleppyEranakulam and Kollam district .The mechanized sector plays an important role in the fishery contributing to about 66 percent, followed by the motorized sector contributing 27 percent and the artisan sector contributing 7 percent. The mechanization provides a wide opportunity to the fishing industry in Kerala.At the mean time the Socio-Economic conditions of mariners Kerala are also improved.
Fishing Population:
The fishing population of Kerala as a whole is about 7,70,000 forming 1,59,000 households. Thus one out of every 30 fishing households in the state is that of a fisherman. If we were to make a distinction between those who fish in the deep sea and those who fish in the inland waters, So 1,14,000 are marked as marine fishing households ad 45,000 inland fishing households. The industry provides employment to another 3,50,000 persons. Three major religious groups named Hindu, Muslim and Christaine are attached to fishing industry.
Importance of Fishing:
Fishing occupies an important place in the economy of Kerala as it is an important source of food and protein, it is a major avenue of employment and in recent years, it has become a major export industry. Kerala’s population is essentially a fish-eating population; the level of fish consumption in Kerala is four times the national average. Fish was a relatively cheap source of protein. Eggs, milk or meat rarely enter the diet. Fish remains an integral part of the food.
The people engaged in fisheries come under three distinct groups: (i) those employed in the actual catching of fish, (ii) those engaged in the processing and (iii) those engaged in the making of fishing equipment such as craft and gear. There is some overlap between these groups but when one usually talks of fisherman, one is referring to people falling in the first group.
With the high population pressure and high unemployment in the state, fisheries are a great source of economic diversification.
Traditionally there existed some export of dried fish and prawn powder from Kerala to the South East Asian countries. This activity was however marginal. The major preoccupation was to meet the domestic consumption requirements of fish for the population of the state and the border districts of the neighbouring state. Today, marine products rank as the thrid largest commodity export of the country.
Technology and Knowledge:
Fishermen in Kerala are confronted today with a considerably changed “universe”. Interactions between fishermen and marine biologists, oceanographers, craft and gear technologists point to the exciting possibilities of undertaking a development process. The use of motors and new material for nets are the major changes in technology.Even the use of a compass is still rare. One area where greater investigation are required pertains to obtaining an understanding about how fishermen acquire their holistic knowledge of the sea and the living resources in it. Blending of tradional and modern science and technology can help to retain the decentralized, small scale operations and the vibrant technology diversity. This is an important need of the hour as it will help foucus on how best coastal fisheries in tropical developing countries can first achieve the goals of sustainable livelihood and food at the locale, before all else.
Fish and Food Security:
Fish is a major nutritional mainstay in the diet of Kerala’s population, irrespective of their income levels, religion or social background. It is also a major endogenous symbol of the culture of food in Kerala. Its role in the food security of all the different cultural and economic segments of the domestic consumers in Kerala is indisputable.
In the context of Kerala, where fishing communities are at the lower end of the economic ladder and fish forms an important component of the food basket of all economic groups in the society.