As the clouds grow darker over the horizon, the faces of the fishermen at Vasco da Gama Square in Fort Kochi get even more downcast. The reason is clear. Lining the seashore are the famous Chinese fishing nets on which depend the livelihoods of many fishermen. In the last couple of years, the number of nets has come down from 22 to 12 as fishing at the nets is no longer lucrative.
A historical legacy, these nets are delicate contraptions made by placing horizontal nets on wooden rods that are balanced on a makeshift lever. They are reset every five years and require continuous maintenance. In some of the nets the rods that were previously made entirely of teak wood have now been replaced with iron. Such maintenance is funded entirely by the owner of the net, who employs six men to operate it.
At this time of year, a dreadful combination of hyacinth and waste creeps up on the surface of the sea making it impossible to lower the nets, let alone catch any fish.
Recently, the Chinese government has submitted a proposal to the Kochi Corporation to restore the nets that were supposedly named after them, but the plans are yet to be executed. While the Chinese Fishing Net Owners Association has reportedly been working towards a deal with the Kochi Corporation to get rid of the waste, the fishermen remain sceptical about any actual results. Moreover, the expansion of the beach and the dwindling number of fish spell more trouble.
The mood at the nets is rather solemn. Ashraf and three of his fellow fishermen, working on one of the nets, explain that most of them don’t even bother coming to work during these days. Unable to keep up with the prevailing conditions, various owners have had to dismantle their nets and leave in search of more lucrative sources of income.
The remaining nets are mere shadows of the function that they once used to serve. When asked if the fishing nets were now only mere tourist attractions Ashraf responds, “These nets are still used to fish. There are many people dependent on them. For them, they are not merely a tradition; but a way of life. Their livelihood depends on them…but these people are unseen.” Ashraf continues to believe that the business will survive.
However, V.J. Franklin, a veteran fisherman is not as optimistic. He and the other people working with him are surrounded with an air of desperation. One of the men lifts up a bucket to display their haul for the entire week: two measly fish. In fact, they hadn’t even bothered to cast the net that day. Franklin explains, “We’ve been sitting here since six in the morning, we figured that it was better to sit idle here than to sit idle at home…”
This season will continue, he explains, when the cover of waste will begin to recede by late August but he is still doubtful if the catch will increase. “I fear that this is the end of our livelihood. There is not much that anyone can do for us now.”
While the future of the Chinese fishing nets lie in the hands of its owners and the corporation, the men who work on them bear the brunt of these natural and man-made changes. This is their only source of income and their only means of survival.
As they struggle to balance the structure of the nets while they fish, their fates too hang in the balance. It will take wilful governance and strategic waste management to secure the future of the men behind one of the city’s best attraction.
