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Slump in fish catch forces fisherfolk to migrate

BERHAMPUR: Fall in fish and prawn catch has started to prompt youth of fishermen community living on Orissa coast to migrate outside the State.

The women folk are more worried about this recent trend of migration as young women have also started migrating in search of work. B.Chintamma, president of Samudram, an organisation formed by the women of fishermen community living on Orissa coast, alleged that young women of fishing community were getting detached from fishing and fish processing as scope of income from it has come down.

According to her young women were migrating along with men to other states in search of work in other sectors.

"They prefer to work at food processing units for small pays," she said. In the fishing community the men usually get involved in fishing at sea, while women take the lead in trading and processing of the catch. Fall in fish and prawn catch has also reduced scope of availability of work for women folk.

This situation has started in recent times due to drastic fall in fish and prawn population in sea near Orissa coast, said B. Simadri, secretary of the Ganjam District Traditional Marine Fish Workers’ Union. He alleged that illegal fishing by trawlers near the sea coast and indiscriminate collection of prawn seed were the reasons behind the fall in catch.

"Collection of prawn seed and destruction of large quantity of fish spawn during the collection process is ultimately reducing fish and prawn population in sea," he said.

But the fisherwomen through their organisation, ‘Samudram’ are also trying to check this rising trend of migration through a cooperative movement started in a small scale.

According to Mangaraj Panda, coordinator of Orissa Marine Resources Conservation Consortium, this effort of these women needs a major marketing back up. Recently the Samudram activists have made efforts to market their dry fish to North Eastern States.

Mr Panda said some women were also trying to venture into captive marine crab culture near the coast.

He said to stop migration of marine fishermen and women there was need for strict measures to stop illegal fishing by trawlers near the coast and setting up of more fish landing zones and processing units and ice plants near the coast with proper road communication. Apart from it indiscriminate use of ring nets and prawn seed collection has to be stopped as they destroy the life chain of fish and prawn in sea.

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