Samir Kumar Sinha | August, 2002

The Ganga is regarded as the backbone of freshwater fishing in India. This commercial activity provides thousands of fisher folk their source of livelihood. But the fish catch has declined by almost 70% in a decade. Such a decline doesn't just reflect an unhealthy river. It has also disrupted an entire way of life for the fishing community of the Ganga basin

	The aquatic species are not the only ones on the verge of extinction

Consequently, inadequate income from fishing has weaned the younger generation away from their traditional source of livelihood. Moreover, such a situation is not only a question of livelihood but is also reflective of the condition of the river.

Discouraging scenario
Some 20 years ago fishermen at Patna, in the middle stretch of the Ganga, regularly netted big fish, up to 20-25 kg in weight, says a 70-year-old fisherman at Patna. In today's context, such a big catch is enough to make news in the city's fish market.

Almost 75% of the younger generation has left their traditional business, a clear indication of the extent to which they have rejected their traditional way of life. That of earning a living off the river and indeed, living by the river. Even skilled young fishermen now sell vegetable and fruits to makes ends meet. Poorly educated and ill equipped to face a fast changing world, many have fallen prey to anti-social elements.

'Mallah' and 'Sahni' communities are major skilled riverine fisherfolk. Sitaram Sahni, a 70-year-old of the Sahni community, says emphatically: "Other communities, with little or no knowledge, are now involved in fishing. Neither do they respect nor understand what fishing is all about. For them, it is a purely commercial activity. The more you harvest, the more you earn. For us, it was a way of life. Our next year's catch depended on what we did not catch this year".

Besides the change in which the river and its wealth are seen, inevitable economic changes, too, have overtaken the traditional fishermen. Till two decades ago, fishing nets were not available in the market but were hand made by fishermen themselves. But with advent of fine mono-filament gillnets, called 'current Jaal' in the market, fishing has become an easy affair for other communities. This jaal comes at a cost of Rs. 300-400 per kg (nets are generally sold by weight).

Deeply enmeshed
According to people like Sahni, this new breed of fishermen is ruthless. While traditionally, fishermen have kept the following season in mind, little or no respect is paid to such niceties in these hard times. Large mesh size gillnets like Bhansa Jaal and Gochhail Jaal (mesh size in the range of 140 - 300 mm) in local parlance, have always been used to catch big size fish. By using these fishing nets during breeding season, brooder fish are also caught. This directly impacts spawning and hence, the next season's fish yield.

Besides, fine mesh size dragnets, locally known as Chatt Jaal and zero mesh size, mosquito nets (Kapra Jaal) are frequently used by fishermen during lean fishing seasons, when they do not get fishes of larger and economic value size. This results in fishing of fingerlings and fry - which grow to fish, affecting the fish yield. "Excess spawn collection from the river, removal of fry and fingerling and ultimately the brood fishing by large mesh size gillnet from the river has reduced the potentiality of fish yield", says Dr. Syed Shabih Hassan, who has completed his Ph.D. research on Fish Stock Assessment at Patna under Patna University.

Though the state government in Bihar bans zero mesh size nets, its poor implementation has hardly affected its use. At Patna, the state capital, a good number of fishermen can be seen using the banned net all round the year.

Bonded to burden
And it is not just from the newer breed of fishermen that the traditional fishing community has to contend with. River maffiosi control fishing at several stretches of the river Ganga, often dictating terms to the poor fisher folk. They restrict fishermen to only a few specific places. Cases of extortion and abduction of fishermen, especially in Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon regions in Bihar, frequently hit the headlines.

This problem has not been taken seriously by the government to ensure the entire river stretch a safe fishing ground. 'Ganga Mukti Andolan', an NGO with the safeguarding and welfare of riverine fisherfolk as core objectives, had organized several demonstrations and activities from time to time, but they have still to find a concrete solution and proper attention of governance towards the plight of fishing communities.

As a community, the traditional fisherman is slowly but surely heading towards extinction.

Samir Kumar Sinha is a Patna-based freelance journalist