DECLINING OF MARINE FISHERIES IN
PUDUCHERRY:
INTRODUCTION
Although over four million people worldwide are dependent on wild-caught fish
as a source of protein, marine fish are not at the top of the conservation radar.
Although fish are among the most important components of marine ecosystems
after plankton, they are most seriously threatened by human activities in the sea.
In recognition of this fact, fisheries across the world are being managed based
on estimates of sustainable harvest rates for each population of fish. However,
this requires intensive data collection and analysis over long spatial and time
scales conditions that rarely exist.
Currently in India we lack reliable fish population data across the spatial and
time scales necessary for good management. Fishermen are left to their own
devices in terms of adapting to changes in fish harvests and managing the
fishery. In order to understand how sustainable Indian fisheries are, documented
fishermen’s perceptions about the state of fish populations and other marine
species that were caught in fishing nets in puducherry state. We also recorded
how people fish and manage fisheries in the context of existing fishing laws,
and explored their willingness to use sustainable techniques.
STUDY AREA
This study was conducted among fishing communities in the Indian union
territory Puducherry produced 45,406 tonnes of marine fish production in 2018.
The types of fishing conducted in these two states represent diversity in
ecological and social conditions of fishing on the eastern and western coasts of
India. We selected the 293 square kilometres, coastline of Nallavadu,
Veerampattinam, Muthialpet, Vaithikuppam and Kalapet. The types of fishing
conducted here include non-mechanized gill-netting for crabs, cast netting for
sardines and other small fish near the shore, hook and line fishing for squids,
mechanized gill netting for mackerels, sharks and most other species, trawling
for shrimp and ribbon fish and shore seines for seer fish and other species.
A pilot study was conducted in Puducherry on October 2019 to refine a
questionnaire. Questions focused on examining whether fishermen felt there
was a change in fish harvests over time, how they responded to these changes
and whether they were currently using or willing to use sustainable fishing
techniques. Following this, questionnaire surveys were conducted with 50
fishermen across 5 villages in Puducherry.
CAUSES
Eighty-five percent of all fishermen surveyed reported declines in fish
catch, and 69% of all fishermen reported declines in other marine species
that were incidentally caught.
These declines were reported to have occurred about 20 years ago.
Most fishermen, including 30% of trawl net using fishermen in
Maharashtra, blamed trawl nets for fish catch declines. The fishermen
with the most experience fishing, as well as those who owned their own
gill-netting boats or had used incentives provided by the government to
buy trawl boats, tended to perceive declines.
Overfishing – occurs when the rate of fish mortality (harvest plus
bycatch) exceeds the natural rate of replacement resulting in a decline of
the fish stock While many in the general public are under the impression
that pollution is responsible for the decline of marine species, it has
become clear in recent years that overfishing is the number one human
activity that threatens marine ecosystems. Most fisheries are ecosystems.
Most fisheries are “open access open access,” acting as a common
resource to acting as a common resource to all and thus are susceptible to
the “tragedy of the commons” as originally described by Garrett Hardin.
Hardin, G. 1968.
Highly efficient technology – the availability of highly sophisticated
tools to locate, harvest and process fish Many modern fishing vessels are
large, floating fish processing factories that can deploy large amounts of
highly efficient gear – miles of submerged longlines, huge trawl nets and,
until their recent prohibition, 40-mile-long drift nets – and process their
catch at sea. Photo shows a Chilean purse seiner about to land several
tons of chub mackerel ‐ a small pelagic species. Modern fishing vessels
deploy larger, heavier gear that allows fishing in previously inaccessible
areas. “Rock hopper” and bigger roller gear, for example, allow bottom
trawl nets to fish rocky, complex habitats where in the past gear would
become damaged or lost. An explosion of new technologies in the 1950s
and 1960s, including the adaptation of military technologies, greatly
increased capacity to catch fish. Radar allowed navigation under weather
conditions that would have prevented fishing previously. Sonar made it
possible to detect large schools of fish and to create detailed maps of the
ocean floor. Recent refinements to sonar technology have even allowed
fishers to distinguish between some species of fish. Some species have
specific sonar signatures based on gas bladder size and muscle density.
Electronic navigation (LORAN – Long‐Range Navigation) and, more
recently, GPS (Global Positioning Systems) and GIS (Geographic
Information Systems) allow fishing vessels to pinpoint the most
productive fishing grounds. New electronic technologies also greatly
increased the capacity to locate and capture fish. Aircraft are frequently
used to locate pelagic fish such as swordfish and tuna and some are
equipped with infrared sensors that detect subtle changes in ocean surface
temperature. This technology can be used to find fish since some high
value species have highly specific temperature preferences. Even the oils
given off by fish which collect on the ocean surface can be detected using
ultraviolent sensors. Airborne electronic image intensifiers can be used
to detect light given off at night by some marine algae when they are
disturbed by passing schools of fish.
Many modern fishing vessels deploy larger, heavier gear than used in the
past, allowing access to previously inaccessible fishing grounds. The
bottom trawl shown here, for example, is held open by heavy doors
(black rectangles in diagram) and dragged along the ocean floor. Some
trawls are equipped with “rockhopper” gear (large rollers on bottom line
in diagram) that allows bottom trawl nets to fish rocky, complex habitats
where in the past gear would become damaged or lost.
BOTTOM TRAWL NET
GILL NET
PURSE SEINE NET
Bycatch – the capture of non-target fish or other marine animals in fishing gear
this “collateral damage” was once thought to occur at minimal levels and
considered an unavoidable consequence to the use of non-selective fishing gear.
Bycatch is now recognized as a serious problem that has had far-reaching
impacts on marine ecosystems. Bycatch of non-target fish is estimated at
approximately 25% of global fish landings and is not incorporated into landings
approximately 25% of global fish landings and is not incorporated into landings
figures. About 30 million tons per year are discarded as bycatch. Logline
fisheries for tuna and swordfish have been particularly damaging to non-target
species. Large sharks, blue marlin, white marlin and sea turtles are frequently
caught. Over 90% of white marlin mortality can be attributed to this
“unintentional harvest unintentional harvest.” In some fisheries bycatch exceeds
the targeted catch.
CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS
Most fishermen perceived declines in fish stocks. Fishermen responded to
these declines by changing the way they fished: increased area used and
targeting new species.
Experience and fishing effort were better predictors of perceptions of
declines in quantity of fish caught.
Research and development support to the small-scale fisheries.
Control destructive fishing such as the use of the small size mesh.
Make concerted efforts to provide regular feed-back of relevant data to
the fish workers. Develop a consciousness among the workers regarding
the nature of resources and the need for the management.
Prevent indiscriminative dumping of toxic materials, industrial effluents.
CONCLUSION
We are certainly not opposed to technical improvement as a means of
augmenting production what we do oppose is the blind faith in modern
technology exposed by new capitalist entrepreneurs to the detriment of the vast
majority of the fish people and resources. technological improvements should
be capable of carrying assist the vast majority of fisher folk. Instead, Modern
technology competes with them, depriving them of economy. The country’s
major river systems are polluted, resulting in large scale fish kills and
destruction of aquatic life.
Encourage national awareness of the need for preserving the environment. It is
laudable that a national awareness campaign has been launched throughout the
country, but we have a long way to go before we can achieve our goal.
INDEX
INTRODUCTION
STUDY AREA
CAUSES
CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS
CONCLUSION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
//efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/
9253/1/35.pdf
ttps://marine-conservation.org/on-the-tide/seven-of-the-biggest-
problems-facing-fish-in-our-oceans/#:~:text=Not%20only%20is
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%20aside
https://www.fao.org/fishery/topic/166303/en#:~:text=Fisheries
%20and%20Aquaculture,-Governance%20and
%20Institutions&text=When%20fishing%20gears%20come
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I would like to express my gratitude and
appreciation towards to all those who gave me
the possibility to complete this project. I wish
to express my deep gratitude and sincere
thanks to the principal Jose Mathew for his
encouragement. I would like to thank my
biology teacher Miss Lahari Nag and whose
help, stimulating suggestions and
encouragement helped me while performing
this project. I would also like to acknowledge
the sincere hard work of my friends without
whom this project wouldn’t have been
possible.
