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A fisherman’s life is tough, for he battles nature’s wildest elements to make a living, and give a life worth living, to his family. Out at sea, every decision he makes, contributes to his survival. Mistakes can be deadly. His profession is often looked down upon, but his produce brings joy to most families of the coastal districts as fish is a part of their daily diet.
What’s it like to be a fisherman?
A fisherman’s working day begins early in the morning, when there is a chill in the air, and darkness envelopes the sea. He ventures out to sea, together with his fellow fishermen to cast his net and draw in the fish – sometimes its available, and at others, not. He also has to battle rough seas and risk his life and limb.
An entire community, the Mogaveeras depends on fishing for their livelihood which is determined in part by the fish merchants who buy and market their produce and the boat owners who own the tools of the trade. There are very few who have their own boats and market their own produce.
Speaking to newskarnataka, a fisherman of long standing, said, “We go out to sea and pray the gods to give us a good catch. Some go on a daily fishing cycle, coming back to shore during the day, while others like myself, we are out at sea for 10 days at time. We earn 30% of the sale value of our catch for our effort and this varies from day to day. This amount has then to be distributed among the entire crew on the boat. So we don’t end up with much at all. The remaining 70% including expenses go to the merchant or the boat owner”.
When asked what he does if there is no catch, or during the monsoon when boats are not allowed to go to sea, he said , “ we get Rs: 100 each per day, which is hardly enough”.
Disappointment was also writ large on his weathered face when he said. “Our profession is tough, and not safe. When we go out, we are not sure we will return. We too have families, but we hardly get to enjoy their company. But what to do, this is our job”.
Fishermen are so busy, that they hardly know what’s going on beyond the sea they roam, the market they service and the home they frequent. A fisherman leads a very poor quality of life. Generally, he has to borrow nets and boats from his owner and borrow money from moneylenders during lean times. If he can not catch fish due to illness or rough weather, his family has to starve. His children are often deprived of education and the members of his family are deprived of medical facilities.
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The Fishing Industry’s eco system
While the fisherman, who goes out to sea, is the centre of the fishing eco system, there are other equally vital elements that contribute to the fish on our dining table – the fish merchants and fish retailers.
Rehman, a merchant from Ullal, had this say,” Sometimes our boats are loaded with fish, prawns and crabs, but, at other times, they are empty. We are solely dependent on fishing. This September month is very crucial every year, as we get maximum catch, but this year we are at loss. If this continues our condition will be same as that of farmers. We trust our ministers who have assured us many developmental works in the area”. A tale similar to that of the fishermen.
On the other end of the spectrum, Laxmi, a fish retailer at Pandeshwar, speaking to Newskarnataka, said “Our life is not easy. From the last 30 years early morning I have been going to the market. I cannot be with the family. People mock and despise us for the way we talk, the way we behave, but then this is our reality. Nobody understands our plight. People think that selling fish is a menial and dirty job. But without this we do not have any other job, Our men go for fishing early in the morning and stay in the water the whole day, risking their life for us so that we may have a life like other people”.
She blamed the government for promising many things during an election. She says “there is nobody who has concern over poor people like us. Our condition is same from the day we began working here”.
The Government Perspective:
When asked for his perspective by newskarntaka, Mahadev, Assistant director of fisheries, with a 10 year stint in the department, said, “these fishermen struggle day and night in the sea. If there is good business for fishermen, it affects positively, the other businesses in the city. So fishing is a major resource for Dakshina Kannada. Here we have many co-operative societies that function along with the department for the welfare of fishermen”.
Speaking about the present situation at the Bunder dockyard and future plans he said, “merchants and boats are increasing day by day. So we have plans to extend the work area. Now the third stage is under process in Hoigebazar.”
It is learnt that the government provides subsidised diesel through the Karnataka Fisheries development Corporation and has several other schemes to help fishermen. These include the provision of an insurance through a Group Accident Insurance scheme. Houses are also provided for the houseless fishermen through ” Matsya Ashraya” scheme. Financial assistance is provided to the fishermen during lean months through savings-cum relief schemes.
Fishermen sadly, do not have the time or the wherewithal to utilize these schemes, which are themsleves limited in their scope for relief. In fact, one of the fishermen told Newskarnataka, “there is no loan facility provided by the government and we have to go to money lenders. A subsidised loan facility like that given to farmers would be very helpful”.
Fishing! It’s certainly not a life for everyone. Long hours, hard work, uncertain weather, life risk and uncertain returns characterize the profession. Its a hard life, yet a life worth living, for the joy it brings to our dining table and the lessons it can teach us.
