The fishermen are in the sea, even before the sun is awake. They fling the nets open and throw them into the water. The different day gets different catches, it may be a gain or a loss. Deep-sea fishing implies that they don’t get to see their family for more than a week. This is a day in the life of a fisherman.
India, being surrounded by seas, gives ample opportunities for the growth of various fishing communities. Fisheries employ millions of people and provide food security to even more. India has plenty of rivers as well, providing the chance for freshwater fishing as well. Over the years, multiple fishing communities have formed and settled in various niches; they include the Mukkuvars and Paravas of Tamil Nadu, Mogaveeras of Karnataka, Pooislans and Dheeveras of Kerala, and many more in other states. These communities are self-sufficient and independent of other communities. They have their own schools, complexes and other facilities.
Illustration by Twinkle Maria George
With increasing modernity in all fields, indigenous fishing has also been modernised. From using the traditional catamarans, masula boats, plank-built boats, dugout canoes, machwas, and dhonis, fisherfolk have moved to diesel and motorised boats, which are much more reliable1. When they are away from the sea during the monsoons, they spend time fixing their nets and oiling their boats.
But why are the fishing communities essential to us? These fishermen have a deep understanding of the wind currents and oceanographic factors, which is better than any software could predict. Using that information, they predict the distribution of the fishes and then plan their fishing grounds accordingly. They have different names for each kind of wind current during other times of the year. They study the cloud pattern to predict the onset of heavy rains, which helped them stay out of the sea during the rough season. This knowledge could be used to develop accurate fish databases and weather forecasts. More studies involving the local communities can help us, science students, map out the changing patterns of the sea.
But not all is well there; with the rapidly changing climate, years of weather predictions are failing, leaving the senior fishermen baffled. Out-of-season rains and wind currents make it difficult to forecast. Warming seas have changed the pattern of fish migration; fishes available in abundance are now scarce. In an interview with the local fishermen of Tamil Nadu, they shared their concerns about climate change and the fate of their livelihood and all the insecurities2. The frequency of large magnitude disasters (like floods) have been on the rise, and nature is not as predictable as it used to be. The east coast fishermen have had a double blow to their trade because of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
Natural disasters are one; man-made disasters are another. The government keeps sanctioning 4/6 lane highways in and around these fishing villages, without knowing its implications on the livelihood of the residents. ‘Development’ projects utilise the beach areas, which are thought not to have any significance, whereas they are valuable to the fishermen. The boats, nets and other equipment are stored here, the caught fishes are dried there, and auctions also happen there. The beach shore is a part of their community, and it is intertwined with their daily life. Documentation of the community space is helping them reclaim their freedom back. New initiatives by the fishermen, which include mapping, have been a big relief3.
This increasing uncertainty has them worried about their children’s futures. They do not want their children to continue the occupation of their community, which has been passed on from generation to generation. They want them to adapt to the growing undecided world. Many have taken up software and teaching jobs out of the fishing community; their parents wish they don’t face the hardships they felt, leaving the mutualistic relation in question. With the emergence of large scale fishing, which harms more than provides, fishing communities face a sharp decline in their catches.
Life is a delicate balance between giving and taking. The fishermen knew when and where to take, giving enough time for nature to heal. They respect nature and pray to the seas, the provider of their daily bread. But we’ve been taking too much for too long. Nature is not what it used to be; corals dead, fishes vanished. The nets are empty in a canoe at the horizon.
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