Fishing and Fishermen in the West Coast...

The southwestern coast of India, consisting mainly of Kerala and south Konkan, is one of the richest in the country in terms of biodiversity, abundance of fish stocks, cultural diversity of fishing communities, and historical traditions. With a recorded history of fishing life and trade relations with far-flung countries like ancient Greece, Rome and the Arabs going back almost 2,000 years, life in this coastal belt has been comparatively friction-free and prosperous. There was an abundant trade in spices and other valuables through major ports like Panthalayani and Kodungallur -- known as Fandalini and Muziris in Arab and Roman texts -- and the sea has been bountiful.

Kerala is one of the nine maritime states in India and it is also the largest fish-producing state in the country. It contributes more than 30% of India’s total marine fish production and over 36% of marine exports. Kerala enjoys a long and unbroken coastline that extends for 590 km; nine out of its 14 districts have the Arabian Sea as their western border. Over 75% of Kerala’s population depends on marine products as a source of protein in their diet. Vendors cycle to every house carrying baskets of fish, venturing to even the remotest villages on the eastern side.
The richness of marine wealth is one reason for the predominant role of fisheries in the economy. Kerala has an economic zone of 36,000 sq km of sea that is rich in diversity; over a hundred varieties of fish are found here. According to a 1976 estimate, the fishery resource potential of the continental shelf of Kerala is around 8 lakh tonnes a year, of which 4 lakh is considered to be from the inshore sea area of 0-50 m depth. In 1991, the working group on resources, constituted by the Government of India, estimated Kerala’s marine potential to be 5.70 lakh tonnes per annum.

The abundance and diversity of fish resources in Kerala’s inshore sea, arguably one of the richest in the world, is a result of unique geographical and oceanographic features. These shores lie within 20 degrees north of the equator, with relatively warm and stable climatic conditions round the year. Besides, the Arabian Sea estuaries are nourished by 41 rivers originating in the Western Ghats; in fact, a river joins the sea at every 15 km on an average, providing fresh water and the right mix of salt and nutrients for all forms of marine life to flourish. Sandy and muddy sub-strata, large coral reefs, rich benthic vegetation and coastal protective plants like mangroves are other important factors that aid biodiversity. The two monsoon cycles, occurring every year, enrich the sea with oxygen and fresh water. Ideal conditions like these that foster marine diversity and high primary productivity have enabled fishing communities to enjoy a stable and prosperous life over generations.

Naturally, fishing is one of the main economic activities here. According to recent figures, more than 1.5 million people depend on fisheries for their livelihood. Official figures state that there are around 150,000 active fishermen along the Kerala coast, working both in the traditional artisanal sector as well as in the mechanised sector.

Till 1989 and 1990, fish catches were abundant reaching almost 6.5 lakh tonnes. Then there was a steady drop. In 1991, it dropped to 5.64 lakh tonnes, and, the next year, 5.61 lakh tonnes. In the past one decade there has been a steady fall in marine catches, putting a lot of economic pressure on Kerala’s fishing populations. This is one of the primary reasons behind the growing social strife in coastal regions. As pressure on marine resources mounts, so too have social tensions in Kerala’s coastal villages.

A major reason behind changes in the socio-economic life of people in this highly skilled, traditional area of operation is the advent of mechanised fishing and the pressures generated as a result of the policies of economic liberalisation and globalisation in recent years.

Traditional skills were the mainstay of fishing operations till the late-1960s. These artisans had developed their own skills based on rural technology, beautifully described in books of fiction like Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai’s Chemmeen, a book about the life of fishermen living along the Arattupuzha coast in Alapuzha. They developed various types of craft and gear adapted for various types of fishing operations. For example, kattamarams -- known as the only unsinkable craft in the world -- were designed as the craft most appropriate for launching and landing on surf beaches. They can be propelled manually or by wind power. The ‘mesh size’ of nets was the main principle behind traditional gear technology. For each species, particular gear with a specific mesh size is designed so that it catches that species alone, and among them only the adult fish, thereby causing minimum damage to the environment and preserving future fish stocks.

The accumulated knowledge system of traditional fishing is substantial and has stood the test of time for thousands of years. Traditional fisherfolk refer to the famed ‘shore-seine’ operation as the best example of the superior and sophisticated scientific and technical skills of artisan fisherfolk. From the beach, expert fishermen could examine a shoal of fish migrating at a distance of 2-3 km away from the shore. They could judge the type of fish in the shoal, the depth at which the fish were travelling, and their speed. Scholars in the fisheries sector say that traditional fishermen were extremely careful in their operations and did nothing to damage the marine ecosystem.

Historians say that this traditional knowledge system goes back to early historical times in south India, indicated in the rich Sangam literary texts that belong to the period between the 3rd century BC and the 3rd century AD. According to scholars, the southern region -- known generally as tamilakam, which included almost the entire region south of the Deccan -- was divided into five geographical segments. [In the Sangam literature there is a description of different eco-zones. They represented different geographical regions with the existence of different natural resources. The reference to these zones indicates the uneven development in the different regions. This also indicates the kind of economic activities followed by the people in these different zones.] The people who inhabited the coasts, known as neithal,[The fourth eco-zone consisted of the coastal region. The main economic activity of the people was fishing, salt making and trade in fish and salt. They were petty traders who carried their goods and sold them in different villages of South India. They built boats and carried the trading activities to overseas trading centres. Later they emerged into rich urban categories. It was in the coastal region that we find the first signs of urbanization. Many multi-storied houses were built here. They exchanged salt and fish for rice and other products.] were described as meenavar or paravar in Sangam literature. The Sangam texts refer to a variety of fishing operations and also mention fish like ayala (salmon) and sraku (shark), still popular in the region. They speak of marakkalam, a wooden vessel that floats on the water. Those who operated the marakkalams later came to be known as marakkars, a seafaring community in the south.

Social life in the southern coastal region has an interesting history: the ancient tribes were described as meenavars and paravars, and, through migration from the interior came other groups like the vambamuriyars, koshers and moka-aryas or mokayars. They are the dominant castes in the coastal villages, and they worship Kurumba Bhagavathy, a Dravidian deity.
Traditional Hindu fisherfolk are divided into 12 sub-castes on the southwestern coast, prominent among them being the mokayas, mukkuvas, valers, nulayars, arayas and mokaveeras. For administrative purposes, the groups were clubbed as one -- the dheevaras --- through a 1961 government order giving them Other Backward Community (OBC) status because of their social and educational backwardness. These communities were ruled and controlled by the sthanis (seniors) or kadakkoties (sea courts) of the respective area, who obtained theetturams, or decrees, from the local rulers; they had de facto control over the social and economic life of the people. These systems were in force till the end of the colonial administration that had accepted the kadakkoties, or sea-courts, as a legitimate quasi-judicial authority in matters relating to seafaring activities.

The present demographic patterns among fishing communities in the south of India have remained unchanged for years: Muslims and Christians have been part of coastal society since the advent of these religions in the region. The demographic strength of both these communities is almost equal, with 27% of the population being backward caste Hindus, 30% Muslims and 37% Catholic Christians, mainly Latin Catholics who are confined to southern parts of Kerala.

-N P Chekkutty

[N P Chekkutty is a Kerala-based journalist. He is presently Executive Editor of Tejas. This is the first in a series of articles on the communal polarisation of Kerala’s fisher community, researched as part of the CCDS-InfochangeIndia Research Fellowships 2006.]