Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
have to be balanced against other concerns. Far more than in the past, fisheries are
now steered from city offices, by people who often have little notion of the practice of
fishing and of the socio-cultural dimensions that are embedded in these lifestyles.
The following sections illustrate the changes that have taken place in world fish-
eries, and the intractability of fishing conflicts in contexts of legal pluralism and
asymmetrical power equations. The cases from South Asia and South Africa also indi-
cate ways forward. These are to be found in the bridging of legal pluralism and in a
reduction of asymmetry, i.e. a re-devolution of authority to the fisher level.
9.5 SOUTH ASIA (PALK BAY)
South Asia has a rich and old fishing tradition. There are a variety of specialised fishing
castes and fishing techniques, and a large marine fishing population spread out along
its coastlines (Bavinck et al. 2013). The Palk Bay, which adjoins the coast of southeast
India and northwest Sri Lanka, is a case in point. It is a shallow and circumscribed
sea known for its biodiversity and rich fishing grounds, and bordered on both sides by
a string of old trading (and smuggling) posts and fishing settlements (Venkataraman
2004). The fishing population shares a language (Tamil) and a history of interaction
(Suryanarayan 2009).
Our knowledge of the pre-industrial era of fishing in the Palk Bay, which roughly
coincides with the Independence of India (1947) and Sri Lanka
10
(1947), is still patchy.
Our present knowledge is as follows. On the Indian side, at the time of Independence,
the kingdoms of Pudukottai and Ramnad had been integrated into the colonial admin-
istration. The region was isolated and quite marginal to the economy and politics of
the nation, and infrastructure was generally lacking. The only fisheries of some con-
sequence - situated more in the adjacent Gulf of Mannar than in the Palk Bay - were
those for pearl and chank (Hornell 1950; Roche 1984; Bayly 1989). These seasonal
fisheries were connected to particular locations and involved limited numbers of peo-
ple. Due to their economic value, however, they were strictly regulated by the colonial
government under the Indian Fisheries Act of 1897. Other fisheries - including the
beachseine fishery that took place in locations where sandy beaches were available,
particularly in the vicinity of the temple town Rameswaram - were probably regu-
lated according to fisher law. The fishing population - constricted by limited local
markets, bad transport facilities and limited means for preserving catches
11
- was low
in number and of varying castes and religions. Caste and religious councils played
an important role in the regulation of societal affairs at the local level, including the
mediation and regulation of fishing conflicts. These probably revolved largely around
the use of fishing techniques and fisher migration.
10
Sri Lanka was earlier known as Ceylon. The name change to Sri Lanka took place in 1972. We
consistently refer to Sri Lanka irrespective of the historical period, in order to avoid confusion
for the reader.
11
The colonial government - aiming to maximize tax revenues - also took charge of salt produc-
tion. In the absence of cooling technology, salt was an important ingredient for the preservation
and thus trade of fish over longer distances.
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