Sarita Koli and her mother have been selling fish at Lalbaug market all their lives, each bringing in Rs. 200 to Rs. 300 a day. Ever since the COVID-19 lockdown began, their entire family in Worli Koliwada is at home with no income. Her son Sunil is worried about the uncertainty. “We don’t even know if fishing will resume after the monsoon. If this goes on, some fisherfolk might commit suicide,” he says.
Two cyclones ravaged the beginning of their season, followed by a slack winter, COVID-19, the economic slowdown. And now, with the approaching monsoon, Maharashtra’s fishermen stare at the loss of an entire year’s business.
Even though fishing has been exempted from the lockdown, unions and marine research institute scientists estimate only about 30% to 40% fishing has taken place in the State.
In Mumbai,koliwadas in Worli, Juhu and Khar are under the grip of COVID-19. As the monsoon approaches, fisherfolk are staring at a period of another three months of no income.
Dry season
The fishing year typically starts in August. In October 2019, Maharashtra’s fishermen could not venture into the sea due to Cyclone Kyarr and in November, due to Cyclone Maha. With the beginning of their season ruined, fishermen headed into the slack season of December and January when the catch diminishes due to the cold. They were hoping to salvage the year in the February to May period, when COVID-19 hit them harder than both these cyclones combined.
“My family has been in the fishing business for generations and I have never seen such a year,” says Devendra Kale, member of Vesava Koli Nakhwa Machhimar Mandal. “In Versova, for every fishing boat, the owner has suffered losses of Rs. 15 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh this year.”
In April, a month after the lockdown took effect, the Central government exempted the fishing and marine aquaculture industry, on condition that maintain physical distancing and hygiene norms.
Soon after, the Maharashtra government issued rules for fishing activities wherein roadside stalls were banned but home delivery was allowed. Despite the order, little to no fishing has taken place off the coast of Maharashtra in April or May.
Soon after the lockdown, social media was abuzz with images of fishermen dumping their catch back into the sea. Hundreds of fisherfolk remained stranded at sea after the lockdown and had to be brought back to safety. Once that happened, a majority of fisherfolk have not ventured into the sea, be it in Mumbai or anywhere in the rest of the State.
Kiran Koli, secretary of the Maharashtra Machhimar Kruti Samiti (MMKS), pegged the losses at Rs. 1,000 crore in Mumbai alone. “Even though fishing has been exempted, where do we take the catch? The market, cold storage and export is shut,” said Mr. Koli.
China, he said, imports 80% of the fish, and small fishermen have suffered the most as they live hand to mouth. “People have loans from fishermen’s societies and banks, why aren’t these being waived? If farmers are given aid after a failed season, why doesn’t anyone talk about fishermen? If this persists, fishermen might starve to death.”
On May 14, the MMKS wrote the CM demanding the State compensate boat owners and workers for their losses, provide rations to all fishermen for the next few months, release the pending diesel subsidy and provide Rs. 5 lakh in loans to every boat owner for the next season as well.
Parshuram Meher, a fisherman from Cuffe Parade and the Mumbai unit head of MMKS said while the government has allowed fishing, “the 43 conditions” imposed on them are so stringent that nobody can follow them. “If we buy diesel on the open market, we will get no subsidy. We have a large outstanding in terms of the earlier diesel subsidy. Exporters have suffered terrible losses as well. Fishermen have taken loans from fishing societies or banks which they cannot repay this year. Besides, they also have no capital for the next season.”
The COVID-19 scourge
In Mumbai, the problem has been compounded by the fact that most Koliwadas or fishing villages had COVID-19 cases. The first case in Mumbai was reported in Worli Koliwada in March, and the G South ward that consists of Worli, has more than 1,000 cases so far.
The fishing village’s architecture and the congested shanties made containment of the virus impossible, resulting in the compounding of cases. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation recently declared large portions of the fishing village decontained, and even allowed fishing in small numbers.
“The new order to allow fishing is too little, too late. In Koliwada, most people are dependent entirely on fishing. We are being provided dal or rice as part of our rations or khichdi as cooked food, but that is not all one can live on. People have rent, loans, pending fees to pay. And who is to say fishing will resume after the monsoon? Even if it does, will people come to fish markets?” asked Mr. Koli from Worli Koliwada.
Several COVID-19 cases have also emerged from Juhu Koliwada, Versova, Khar Danda, Uttan, Gorai and Madh — all of them traditional fishing villages.
Narendra Patil, a fisherman from Satpati (Palghar) and President of National Fishworkers Forum said the government needs to at least waive interest on earlier loans, and give zero interest loans for the coming year. There are 22,000 mechanised and non-mechanised fishing boats in Maharashtra and on an average, 10 people work on each boat, he said.
“There has been no fishing this season. Among the last boats that came to Satpati, we had around 10-12 tonnes of fish, which we struggled to sell. This year, only 30% fishing has happened at best,” he said.
A fishing drought, he said, can be declared only if there is less than 50% fishing for three years in a row.
There could be at least four lakh beneficiaries of relief in the State, said Rajendra Jadhav, joint commissioner (fisheries) in Maharashtra. “Fishing is less than usual, but we don’t have the exact loss figures. For the next season, we have started issuing the Kisan Credit Card and they will get loans through these.”
Dr. Akhilesh K.V., a scientist from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Mumbai pegged the reduction in fishing activities since January at more than 60%.
Generally speaking, he said, there has been a significant dip in fishing during the lockdown, which has impacted mainly small fisherfolk and women vendors.
“The sector’s running depends not only on fishing but an entire chain of activities, and for this, there is need for labour, ice, transport and so on, which is limited during a lockdown. This is expected to be a tough year,” he said.
For the firsherfolk, it looks like an uncertain future.
Published - May 16, 2020 02:01 am IST
