The Hindu : Karnataka / Mangalore News : Monsoon fishing keeps small fishermen busy

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Jul 15, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka - Mangalore

Monsoon fishing keeps small fishermen busy

By Our Staff Correspondent

Monsoon fishing has helped many fishermen in Dakshina Kannada.

MANGALORE, JULY 14. Just when the poor fishermen of Dakshina Kannada thought that the fishing season was over for the year, they have discovered that there is a little more catch left to keep them going for some more time.

Small fishermen, particularly those who fish in the sea using country boats or catamarans, are elated at this.

In the past, fishermen using country boats who went to sea in "Rampani" groups, came back with a good catch.

But that was until mechanised trawlers entered the picture.

Now, small fishermen go to sea only during the monsoon and, in the fishing season, they work on the trawlers.

One advantage of monsoon fishing, also known as coastal fishing, is that the fishermen sometimes get a good catch of exotic fish such as prawns, sardines, and cuttlefish.

Rampanna Mogaveera, a fisherman, says that monsoon fishing helps the small fishermen pay off their debts incurred during the fishing season and also save something for themselves.

The absence of middlemen is good news for these fishermen. During the fishing season (August 15 to June 15), the catch is auctioned by the middlemen, who, according to some fishermen, take away 60 per cent of the price of the catch.

Though middlemen are absent now, there are other threats that they have to deal with.

The sea is rough, which makes fishing a hazardous job.

Though their tiny catamarans are no match for the huge waves, the fishermen, unmindful of the danger, venture into the sea and see the day through.

Also, many of the fishermen are yet to insure their boats.

However, some fishermen leaders say that they try to persuade others to get their boats insured.

Some fishermen's associations have also entered into agreements with insurance companies for group insurance for fishermen and their families, which is slowly becoming popular among the fishermen.

Though the fishermen have appealed to the Government to increase their quota of kerosene under the public distribution system, nothing has been done in this regard.

With no major force to lobby for them, the small fishermen now facing the threat of being wiped out or ending up as permanent labourers on the bigger boats.

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