BERHAMPUR: Fishermen of Ganjam are a worried lot. The impact of the nine-month ban on fishing notwithstanding decreasing fish catch during rest of the year has added to their woes. At least 15,000 people living between Prayagi and Sunapur in the coastal district earn their living by fishing.
Ban on fishing is implemented twice a year by the State Government. From April 15 to June 15, mechanised and motorised fishing is banned as this is the breeding period for fishes. Similarly, fishing is banned from November 1 to May 31 for Olive Ridley nesting.
Two decades back, a majority of fishermen shifted from using traditional catamarans to motorised boats as State Government provided subsidy on the latter, said J Deenabandhu, a fisherman of Solora village under Chikiti block. “These boats allowed them to go deeper into the sea for a good catch and their profit increased. However, the fishing ban has snatched our livelihood away and the State Government does not provide any help in dealing with the loss,” he said and added that during the remaining three months the fish catch is extremely low. This has been the case for the last five years.
During the ban period, fishermen are allowed to use traditional boats which do not cause noise or pollution in the sea. But, they can only travel two km off the coast using traditional boats and cannot carry large nets. Fishermen said September to February is the peak season for fishing but the ban is imposed through much of the period. In fact, the fishing ban has forced many of them to migrate to other districts and States in search of work.
G Aadi, a fisherman of Purunabandha under Ganjam block said in the last fortnight, the catch has been negligible. He added that around 3,000 fishermen of the 10 villages under Ganjam block have been affected by the fishing ban and low catch.
This has also affected fish processing and dry fish manufacturing units that mostly employ women of fisherman community. With fall in fish catch, women of the marine fisherman community have also lost their livelihood. They are no more able to process and trade marine products as a result, the demand of dry fishes is being met from Balasore and Andhra Pradesh.