Feud over fishing starts a fire in Kerala village
A CLASH of interests between traditional fisherfolk and owners of modern fishing trawlers is nothing new in Kerala's coastal districts. But the normally quiet village of Anchuthengu in Kollam district is caught in just such a struggle and has been riven by unprecedented acts of violence since last October.
The immediate reason for the dispute was an unusually large kannava mada, a shoal of cuttle fish, sighted in the sea near the village. Local fisherfolk eagerly anticipated a rich haul for such large shoals of fish in the past had fetched them daily catches worth as much as Rs 10,000. So their despair and anger were natural when, on the morning of October 2, fishing trawlers moved in and netted the bulk of the shoal, contravening a law that forbids them from fishing within 22 km from the coast.
The fisherfolk had earlier pointed out trawler activity would disturb the cuttle fish to such an extent that any subsequent catch would be impossible. But their warning was ignored by the trawler owners. Continued resistance by the fisherfolk was answered by force. On the night of October 4-5, trawler crews attacked the fishing boats, damaging them and their nets. In retaliation, on October 7, reportedly under the leadership of the Theeradesa Matsyathozilali Federation -- the trade union arm of the Trivandrum District Fishermen's Federation (TDFF) -- the fisherfolk swooped down on the poaching trawlers and set 11 of them on fire.
Victor a fisherman closely associated with the TDFF, denied his union was involved in the burning of the trawlers, but pointed out the episode had "increased the unity among the fisherfolk". Although there are still doubts about TDFF's involvement, the incident has sparked a virtual war between trawler-owners and the fisherfolk.
The trawler crews raided Anchuthendu on October 11 and attacked the inhabitants with sharp-edged weapons. Four fishermen were taken hostages. Once again, the villagers responded by attacking and confiscating two trawlers.
By the end of October, the conflict had become grave enough to attract the attention of the church, which enjoys considerable social and religious authority amongst Kerala's fishing community. On November 11, the Bishop Father Susaipakam of Thiruvanathapuram initiated talks between the two sides. The rival groups agreed to return stolen equipment and free the hostages. But the peace was short-lived. By mid-November, several more boats being damaged and hostages being taken were reported taken.
Curiously, the district administration waited almost two months before intervening in the matter. At the end of November, Kollam collector Lida Jacob convened a meeting at which the two sides agreed to maintain peace. The trawler owners, in particular, agreed they would not encroach into the coastal waters reserved for the fisherfolk.
The official machinery's delayed initiative attracted criticism from fisherfolk's organisations. T Peter, general secretary of the Kerala Swanthanthra Matsyathozilali, blamed state officials for failing to punish trawler-owners for fishing in areas not legally open to them. In Kerala, trawlers are not allowed to fish at night, which is when the smaller boats venture forth. Trawlers are also prohibited by the state government from fishing in shallow waters (maximum depth of 30 metres) between Kollamcode in the south to Paravoor. From Paravoor northwards till Mangeswaram, the waters upto 20 metres in depth are reserved for the traditional fisherfolk.
But Peter commented sarcastically, "The government's deputy inspector-general for marine enforcement works between 10 am and 5 pm. How can you expect him to check night-trawling?"
Several concerned observers in Kerala have noted government policies, far from checking encroachment by mechanised trawlers, actually encourage them. "Marine exports form the boom area for Indian exports," said John Kurien, a fishery economist at the Centre for Development Studies in Trivandrum. He pointed out the most profitable items in this export drive such as tuna, mackerel, prawns and cuttlefish are found mostly in waters close to the coast. "If you go only by the profit motive, you cannot keep the trawlers away."
Kurien's point of view is endorsed by Marshall Frank, president of the All-Kerala Mechanised Fishing Boat Owners' Association, whose trawler was among those that raided the fishing waters of Anchuthengu. "The government has asked us to go ahead and fish. They (the government) want foreign exchange and we are providing it." In the face of such seemingly irrefutable logic, peace in Anchuthengu is going to be a difficult proposition.