Vulnerabilities of Fishing Communities to Ecological and Climate Changes

A pilot study in Dharavi Bet in Mumbai

Institute for Community Organization Research

Dharavi Bet Background

Dharavi Bet has 10 villages Total population 1.5 lakh (70% fishers of which 70% artisanal & small scale) Many had small farms but sold; today, most depend exclusively on fishing, some practice secondary farming. 3 villages studied: Manori, Gorai and Uttan (including Pali, Uttan Chowk & Pathan Bunder) Manori (population 8,000), Gorai (6,800), Uttan (30,000) 1/3rd of the area wetland, creeks, mangroves, saltpans Mainly they fished in coastal waters and creeks in the offseason. All these resources provided assured food and livelihood till about 15-20 years ago. But things have been changing.

Decline or stagnation in fish catch in Maharashtra Decline in fish production since 2003

Production peaked at about 4.5 lakh tonnes in 2002, dropped to 3.16 lakh tonnes in 2009, and to 2.25 lakh tonnes in 2010.
Pomfret catch: 1986 around 15,000 tonnes 2009 around 4,800 tonnes Bombay Duck : 1990 around 40,000 tonnes (Bombil) 2009 aound 20,000 tonnes

What is more important, catch of high-value fish has drastically declined.

Overall, share of high-value fish catch (excluding pomfrets, prawns and lobsters) in the total catch dropped from 8.4% in 1996-1997 to 0.8% in 08-09. Has production crossed the sustainable levels?

Reasons for the decline

Overfishing : Too many boats, and intense fishing, since the early 90s. Heavy competition for fish. Even juvenile fish are relentlessly caught, affects spawning Chemical pollution of the coastal waters and creeks -- untreated sewage ( reduces oxygen in the water), industrial wastes, plastic wastes and oil spills.

Environmental and ecological degradation : Destruction/degradation of mangroves and wetlands ( fish nurseries) Polluted creeks, poor water quality, environmentally stressed Climate Change :

Uttan/Manori /Gorai fish catch trend ( 5-year averages since 1994 95)

94 95 to 98- 99

99-00 to 03-04

04 05 to 08 09

Uttan

20, 000 tonnes

15, 500 10,575

19,300 13,354

Manori/ 18,400 tonnes plus Gorai (Source : Dept of Fisheries, Maharashtra )

Hardly any fish in the coastal waters Drop in high value fish catch such as silver pomfrets, big prawns, rawas ( Indian salmon), lobsters, croackers group, etc.

Even smaller but popular fish such as Bombay duck and mandeli are getting less and available farther away or deeper in the sea.
So greater efforts, more time and higher costs in fishing. Not much fish in the creeks so off-season fishing and income affected. Fishers with big boats, better nets and longer staying power in the sea continue to do well, but artisanal and small scale fishers are affected. Higher market prices for fish has helped to some extent, but many report reduced income, particularly in a bad season.

Climate change and its effects

Rising land temperature Annual av. Temp. in Mumbai rose by 0.6 degree C over the last century. Annual average maximum temp in Mumbai rose by 1.62C from 1901 to 2007. Post-monsoon 1.07 and 2.46 / Winter 0.95/2.45 summer 0.42/1.11 Changing rainfall pattern. More short spells of intense rains. Rising sea surface temperature. In 2000, sea temp in the Arabian Sea ranged from 29.2C in the Lakshadweep region (closer to the equator) to 27C in the Gulf of Kutch region in the north. Warming expected to increase by about 3C 3.5 C during this century from 2000 to 2099. Coastal waters around Mumbai now warming at about 0.3 degree C per decade. Sea level rise because of higher SST. Sea level around Mumbai rising at 1.2 mm per year All these changes will affect farming and fishery, particularly of artisanal and small-scale fishers.

Impact on Fishery
Changes on sea conditions make fishing more difficult and hazardous --more intense rains, storms, stronger thunderstorms and lightning. Disturbances at sea, greater turbidity, changing currents and wind patterns make it difficult to locate fish in the sea ( fishermen now find it difficult to locate pomfret and mackerel) Rising SST affects fish breeding and growth cycles, and fish survival rates of surface -dwelling fish, reducing overall fish production. Migration and shift in fish habitat northwards or deeper into the sea. changes in fish distribution and relative abundance. Some varieties may commercially disappear. And it will become difficult for artisanal fishers to catch some varieties with their current fishing nets and practices. Rising temperature and acidification (due to higher carbon dioxide concentrations) of the water drive away some small fish, particularly shell fish, from coastal waters. Higher temperatures and higher salinity (because of higher evaporation and less fresh water flow into the sea) can enhance the toxicity of some pollutants and affect fish productivity.

Artisanal and SS fishers will be further marginalised

Uncertainty in locating fish and fish migration will cause more problems for them. If surface-dwelling fish of commercial value such as mackerel and seer fish, and small fish such as mandeli and bhiljee (white sardine) in Mumbais coast migrate into deeper waters, artisanal fishers may not be able to catch them with their current fishing practices. Fish migration and changes in the composition and relative availability of fish varieties (increase or decrease in fish stocks) will require changes in fishing methods ( boats, nets, fish-locators etc) which artisanal fishers cannot afford. Lack of capital for more investment in fishing.

(Source and copyright : Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi)

Projected area of inundation of Juhu fishing village, Mumbai for 3 sea level scenarios; blue colour indicates 0.3 m, blue+yellow 0.6 m, blue+yellow+red 1.0 m rise in sea level (Source : DARE/ICAR Annual Report 2009 2010)

Socio-economic impacts
Reduction in fish catch and income for SS fishermen Combined with the steep rise in food prices, this affects food consumption in vulnerable groups in some villages, particularly when there is low or no catch They sell high value fish in the market and buy low-value fish or low-value meat, or eat more dry fish. Increased cost of fishing (fuel, ice, etc) also eroding income. Increased stress on women. Some of the women work as housemaids to bolster family income Falling income affects education and social activities. Girls are the first one to be taken out of school in bad times. They are also sent out on farm work or construction work.

Uncertain future and lack of alternatives

Youth comprise about 40 % of the fishing workforce in the three villages. Many see their work as arduous and increasingly risky, and the future as uncertain. Traditional fishers now think they cannot depend on fishing alone for livelihood. Low educational levels, lack of special skills, particularly lack of communication skills in English, limit alternative job options. In Uttan, graduates continue with fishing rather than commuting to the city for low-paying jobs. Manori, which is closer to the city, has higher educational levels, and many are moving to service jobs. New SEZ and CRZ plans in the area causes greater uncertainty Uncertainty about the future and limited livelihood options will soon force occupational changes, say some fishers.

Health Impacts

Increasing heat stress among women because of long hours of outdoor work --- marketing, drying fish, etc. Dehydration, kidney and urinary tract problems increasing.

Malaria cases increasing

Backaches and joint pains common among men and women.

Coping/ Adaptation
Different classes adapt different methods. The poor sell high-value fish and buy low-value fish from the market (sort of market-mediated adaptation) Families grow vegetables such as pumpkins and gourds in the homestead to cut cost on food. Cut spending on social activities In some villages, such as Uttan, women process fish into pickles and other products as a community activity to generate additional income The poor say lack of finance limits their adaptability to the changing situation in terms of adapting new fishing practices and fishing gear. The well-to-do are using better boats (mechanised, more capacity, lighter, GPS, fish-finders, etc) and better nets (eg. Uttan) Coping with SLR -- conserve mangroves, build stone walls (Gorai)

Long- term policy measures

Conflicts in resource use in the sea and on coastal land. Conflicts in current policies. Need for new policies. Need for conservation of resources and protection of small fishers. Zoning, and regulation of fishing periods and the number boats Develop common resources approach and technologies that promote this approach For artisanal fishers, identify, diversify and strengthen traditional fishing methods where applicable. Develop deep-sea fishing technologies Check pollution of the coastal waters and improve coastal ecology

MEASURES TO PROTECT FISHERY AND LIVELIHOOD

Policy measures to increase fish production and exports have led to intensive and indiscriminate fishing and overexploitation of coastal fisheries resources, undermined sustainability of these resources and marginalized artisanal and small-scale fishers over the past few decades. Chemical pollution of the coastal waters near industrial cities such as Mumbai has also contributed to driving away fish from the traditional resource base of marginal and small fishers. Climate change now further threatens their ecological systems, fisheries resources and livelihood.

To promote sustainability, first, strict measures to stop indiscriminate and excessive fishing. Too many big boats and trawlers with small-meshed nets. So mesh sizes and the number of big boats need to be regulated. Trawlers should be restricted from fishing in the near-shore waters where artisanal and small-scale fishers had enjoyed customary rights over the resources. Trawlers also destroy local marine ecosystems. So fishing zones for small fishers, and trawlers and other big mechanized boats should be clearly defined and enforced.

 (Eg., Maharashtra now has about 4,200 trawlers while only

2,000 could be sustained. And though existing legal frame prohibits use of small mesh size for the nets and fishing by mechanized boats close to the sea in waters less than 10 m, implementation by policing is nearly impossible. If the entire community in the district or the state adopts it as self-imposed measure then perceptible increase in fish abundance can be expected.) Fishing seasons need to be restricted to avoid fishing in fishspawning and breeding seasons. One suggestion is that the current ban on fishing for two months (from mid-June to midAugust in Maharashtra) should be extended to at least three months for five years so that fish stocks could get replenished. Poor fishers should be given subsidies for loss of income during this period.

Improve the coastal environment. Stop polluting coastal waters and the creeks, and clean up the creeks to provide a healthy habitat for fish, mangroves and other plant life. The citys sewage and industrial wastes should be treated before pumping them into the sea, and coastal waters need to be regularly monitored for pollution. Strong measures should be taken to protect mangroves and wetlands (breeding grounds for fish). Mangroves also need to be developed as natural shields against flooding and storms to reduce the impact of climate change. Climate change is a larger problem and needs to be countered at several levels local, regional, national and international through various measures and forums. Fishery in general does not contribute much to global warming. However, at the local level, measures such as increasing the green cover, growing trees along the coastline, maintaining wetlands and expanding local bio-diversity can help as mitigating and adaptive measures.

 Marginal and small-scale fishers are generally the victims

of ecological degradation and climate change. But their voices are not heard much at national and global climate talks and policy-making bodies. So we need stronger forums to carry their views to policy-framing bodies. Changes in the marine environment and shifts in fish habitats and fish distribution patterns require adaptation, diversification and the upgrading of fishing gear, craft and capacity to suit the changes. Poor fishers capacity to do so is limited, and they need help in capacity-building. In the absence of this, they will lose out, even where the changes may be potentially beneficial.

Traditional fishing practices, suited to the changing local conditions, need to be identified and improved if necessary. This will help artisanal fishers.

 Management

of coastal fisheries for sustainability and equity is important. A community-based approach to resource management, built on the awareness of the longterm implications of the current unsustainable and destructive fishing practices, will promote equitable sharing of resources and responsibility. New techniques of community-based fish-breeding and harvesting should also be developed to help small-scale fishers. All this will need close collaboration between fisheries scientists and fishing communities.

The likelihood of coastal erosion and flooding demands judicious use of coastal land, particularly in vulnerable areas. Faulty land use and local environmental degradation often enhance the impact of climate change and natural disasters. Giving land rights to fishers and creating awareness of such issues would motivate them to improve their environment. Other precautionary measures include early warning of storms and cyclones at sea and cyclone shelters on land.

To enhance fishing communities income, fishery-related and other economic activities, collective as well as individual, should be developed and supported e.g., processing fish into various value-added products, poultry and animal husbandry, and making candles, garments and other such products.

Fishing communities also need good facilities for storing, drying and processing fish, particularly in view of rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. Better public healthcare facilities are another requirement since illnesses affect fishers physical capacity to work and strain their limited financial resources In the long run, dependency on fishery as the sole source of livelihood needs to be reduced and occupational mobility encouraged -- provision of better educational and alternative job opportunities (eg., youth in Mumbai city). In Dharavi Bet, except in Manori to some extent, dependency on fishery is increasing.