JOIN USThe looming perils of overfishing
In the rapid decline of its oil sardine and mackerel catch, Karnataka is losing the mainstay of its marine fisheries. Between 2017 and 2018, the harvest of these two staple fish varieties has fallen by 59 per cent and 29 per cent respectively. This is affecting not just livelihoods but also the food security of coastal communities.
Part of the problem is that the oil sardine is also highly sought after by the Fish Meal and Fish Oil industry (FMFO), whose factories are clustered along Karnataka’s coast — there are 34 factories in Karnataka alone and 10 of the 15 biggest fish oil exporters are also from the state.
These FMFO industries use edible, nutritious fish and process it into fish feed for the voracious aquaculture industry in India and abroad. Aquaculture accounts for 70 per cent of FMFO consumption, with the rest going into the agricultural and poultry sector.
Fish traders in Mangaluru indicate another trend that could have a direct effect on human health. Large players buy fish in bulk, store it in cold storage for three months or more and sell when the prices are high.
Indiscriminate fishing along Karnataka’s coast, in which juvenile fish are increasingly hauled out of waters by mechanised boats, has only added to the problem.
The mackerel, which was abundantly available along the coast and was the top commercial fish netted in the state in 2017 and 2018, dropped to the fifth position in 2019; the sardine catch in 2018 was just 39,758 tonnes, a drop of 72 per cent when compared to 2014.
The drop in the number of sardines and mackerels has also seen a parallel drop in exports from the Fish Oil industry, indicating just how much the industry depends on these resources.
At the same time, ports along Karnataka’s coast are also seeing a rise in catches of blowfish and red-toothed triggerfish, which have little commercial value and are sold to FMFO plants at a pittance: Rs 11 - Rs 14 per kg. Depending on the quality, these ‘trash fish’ are either sent to the Surimi (a food paste made from fish proteins) plants or the FMFO industry, according to Prathibha Rohit, Principal Scientist and in-charge of Mangalore Research Centre of Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute.
Indiscriminate fishing
So what is happening? Experts say that the indiscriminate fishing of juvenile fish by mechanised trawlers, and overfishing of existing stocks, is to blame.
A T Ramachandra Naik, a lecturer in the Fisheries College in Mangaluru, says that contrary to the claims of FMFO industry, a huge quantity of juvenile fishes are also diverted to their plants.
Despite sensitisation programmes, juvenile fish continue to land in the nets of fishermen, he said. Though the State and central governments have directed the industry to use of 35 mm square-shaped nets, most boats continue to use smaller mesh-size, diamond-shaped nets, which prevent the escape of juvenile fish.
One major issue is that the fisheries industry in the state, like elsewhere, is geared towards scaling up. And the high costs of running a trawler — fuel costs, salaries for the workers, supplies — mean that these mechanised boat owners are tempted to scoop up everything they can find beneath their feet.
Mohan Bengre, the President of the Purse seine Boat Owners Association, said that in order to make fishing viable, a deep sea expedition should fetch them an income of above Rs seven lakh. “An amount of Rs four lakh is spent on diesel alone,” he says.
Fishermen asserted that the presence of FMFO plants along the coast supports their livelihoods.
Prathibha Rohit, also agrees with this assessment and says that the FMFO market, which buys the bycatch of these boat owners, has made fishing viable.
Prof Ramachandra Bhatta, a marine resources economist and senior research consultant for Hyderbad-based National Academy for Agricultural Research Management, says the FMFO industry encourages destructive fishing like light fishing, bull trawling in Karnataka “In 2010, only five per cent of fish landings were diverted to FMFO units. A decade later, nearly 35 to 40 per cent of fish landings are diverted to FMFO.”
With fewer fish available for consumption, “low-income families along the district have been deprived of easily accessible nutritious food,” he says.
“By intensifying pressure on pelagic fish stocks to feed the fast-growing aquaculture industry will have further knock-on effects on other marine life and marine ecosystem... we are killing the rich marine biodiversity,” he adds.