Fishermen’s associations in Kerala have once again expressed their strong dissent against the provisions of the draft National Fisheries Policy 2020, released by the Union government last year. Calling out the draft policy as a move to help corporates to flourish in the fisheries sector, the Kerala Independent Fish Workers Federation has asked the state government to express its stance on the draft policy. The group has also announced that it will start protests against the policy soon.
Ever since the Union government issued the draft policy last year, inviting public opinion, many traditional and small scale fisherfolk had been raising concerns stating that the policy has failed to address their issues while it upholds corporate interest. The time period issued by the Union government for the public to submit suggestions and grievances on the draft policy, ended on Saturday. It is in the wake of this that these groups have now come out asking the state government to express its stand on the matter.
From concerns that ‘prevalence of traditional fishing practices’ was being called a ‘constraint’ for the sector, to the clauses stating privatisation of water bodies that otherwise is accessible to all, there are a list of issues the community is concerned about. The draft policy in a part that explains 'constraints' faced by the sector, states 'prevalence of traditional fishing practises' as one of the constraints. Fishers are questioning how traditional fishing practises have become a constraint for the fishing sector.
“Public opinion was invited for the new draft policy which sacrificed the interest of small scale and traditional fishers. There was a draft policy in 2016 submitted by Dr S Ayyappan Nair committee, after taking inputs from experts and workers in the fisheries sector. This new policy is a diluted version of that and this will destroy the traditional fishing sector,” says Jackson Pollayil, president of Kerala Independent Fisher Workers Federation.
Laying ground for privatisation of water bodies, the draft policy states that, “states will develop comprehensive leasing and licensing policy for all public water bodies with due priority to local fishing communities and their cooperatives, fisheries professionals /trained entrepreneurs while respective agencies may continue to retain trusteeship/custodial rights of these resources.” This has been looked upon by the fishers with much skepticism.
Writing to the Union government, All Kerala Fishing Boat Operators Association (AKFBOA), has called out the draft policy as something that will sideline the fishermen in the country for “some new entrants to the sector”. It says, "The introduction of private participation in deep sea and beyond envisaged in the draft policy is a pointer that implicitly concedes the reflection of monopolistic fishing and vending and will evidently be ubiquitous in their operation."
“The resources in the sea within our fishing zone are enormous and our fishermen cannot harness them to optimum level because of inherent incapacity to deploy gadgets aiding and helping to procure them. The draft policy outlines rigid restrictions to deter the fishermen from attempting to enter the fray,” the letter reads. It also adds that the fishing community who suffered during the COVID-19 induced lockdown has further dampened their spirits over the provisions of the policy.
The fishers also point out that the draft policy lacks clarity as it has not defined what is meant by small scale, artisanal and traditional fishers. The Union government has also drawn flak over circulating the draft now as it was not possible for the fishing community to organise wide scale discussions in the wake of COVID-19 pandemic.
Pointing to another point ‘missed out’ in the draft policy, Joseph Xavier Kalappurackal, General Secretary of AKF BOA states that it has not addressed the hiking fuel prices. “Any national policy on fishing without addressing the problem of diesel price is not welcome,” he said.
The draft policy has also stressed on mariculture -- cultivation of marine organisms within enclosed spaces in the open sea -- stating more focus should be given to it in coastal states. But experts in the sector have raised their concerns over this.
“Though there are some places in India where mariculture is practised, there is no commercial set example to show that this can be a profitable field. Moreover, this requires large capital investment and also involves the risk of whether or not it will be viable in the long run. It has been presented as if this is a successful model, while there are no commercially sustaining models in front of us,” V Vivekanandan, Secretary of Fisheries Management Resource Centre (FISHMaRC), had said in a webinar held last year.
Reportedly, fishers associations in other states have also registered their grievances on the draft policy.