Solving a fishy problem

Sri Lankan fishermen are netting in troubled waters these days. Neighbour India and Sri Lanka are planning on inking a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to protect the fishermen and provide them with diplomatic support, but the community remains impoverished with controversy bobbing just below the surface.

Fishermen in the north are the most vocal about the infringement of Indian fishermen into Sri Lankan waters as they charge that much-needed revenue is being lost to them.

After suffering through fishing restrictions due to the three decades of war, they are in grave need of support to renew their livelihood. This is not limited to fishing alone, but better equipment, regulations and infrastructure such as processing plant for exports.

Foremost on their demand list is the request that Indian fishermen be prevented from fishing in Sri Lankan waters and fast-tracking the release process of local fishermen detained by India. This issue has caused much diplomatic strain between the two neighbours, but the move to sign a MoU is a positive one. Reports indicate that as many as 500-1,000 fishermen cross into Sri Lankan waters and northern fishermen are keen to minimise this, but developing the fishing industry will need a more comprehensive long-term plan.

Not only are Somali pirates kidnapping Sri Lankan fishermen, but they are also in danger of being displaced by development. The Kuchchaveli tourism project could displace entire villages of fishermen who have been living on the land earmarked for generations. Gazette notification over the land has already been released and the Tourism Board is entertaining bids, but the plight of the fishermen remains unknown. Resettling them inland, which could be considered, would make it difficult for them to continue their livelihood and an entire way of life would be lost.

Eking out a hard life even at the best of times, fishermen have been thrown into a storm of controversy. Battling poverty, unmerciful seas, pirates, unfair business practices and now displacement, they need the attention of the Government urgently. A MoU is a good start, but top down measures that only address one aspect of the multidimensional problems faced by them will do little to improve their lot.

A national programme to develop the fishing industry with specific attention to separate problems faced by fishermen in the north and east and programmes for projects to develop inland fisheries need to be drawn out and implemented. As a vulnerable group they often do not have the capacity to make their voices heard in powerful circles and the result of poor organisational capacity is that their problems can get ignored.

‘Development’ cannot be limited to one section of society. It must endeavour to encompass as many stakeholders of the community as possible. No matter how much of investment is bought in by massive projects, they would be of little use if the benefits do not trickle down to the poor and improve their standards of life. Leaving them little choice but to change their way of life is an inadequate solution at best.

Fishing communities in the north and east have suffered enough hardship. There’s a lot that needs to be lightened with the right kind of support spanning the entire paradigm of their livelihood. Promoting the practice of legal and environmentally-friendly fishing mechanisms will also help promote our fishing in the world as well as making sure that future generations will be able to sample it too. It is time to act and get this sinking community into the sun.