At 76, Phillip Mastan is one of the oldest fishermen in this Koli village north of Mumbai. He knows all there is to know about these coastal waters–including the fish he can’t find anymore. He lists them out, one by one. “Red snapper, that’s completely disappeared; sharks, they’re harder to find.” The trawlers catch the shrimp and squid, the purse-seiners (a type of dragnet) scoop the cat-fish. As for eels, “we used to catch hundreds and throw them back in the sea”. But today , a single eel sells for a few thousand rupees, he adds ruefully. A few decades ago, Vasai’s fisherfolk used to catch a variety of fish with their traditional dol or bag nets. Now, thanks to shrinking fish populations and competition from larger nets, Vasai has become largely a one-fish town. Pomfret dominates the nets here. Recently even that catch has fallen. Vasai’s troubles reflect the larger crisis in traditional fis heries, one which the government has just begun to tackle.Experts blame the crisis mainly on overfishing caused by the explosion of trawlers and the introduction of purse-seine nets in the late 1990s. Together they accounted for almost 75% of state fish catch last year. The state’s fish catch declined for the second consecutive year in 2015, falling by almost 23% compared to 2014, according to the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). Maharashtra witnessed a 23% drop in fish catch last year, mostly felt by traditional nets. Catfish, shrimp, and pomfret catch fell by 5080% in gill and dol (bag) nets. While fish catch can fluctuate from year to year, a 2013 CMFRI analysis of long-term trends found that the compounded annual growth rate had declined from 3.2% in 1961-90 to 0.41% in 1990-2000 to -4.7% in 2000-2010. Many fish stocks are in decline, the study found. Apart from trawlers, traditional boats have also increased in size and number. Dolnet boats in Vasai doubled to 100 in the past decade, said Vishnu Ranghucha, a Koli who owns three boats. But the spread of purse seines, which are much larger than traditional nets, is seen as the most immediate threat. A purse seine is a large wall of net dropped into the ocean, with a string looping the bottom edge like a drawstring purse. It can corral 1-2 lakh tonnes of fish at one go, including vast quantities of commercially useless baby fish. This juvenile bycatch results in fewer fish growing up to reproduce. A report by the V S Somvanshi expert committee last year warned against the use of purse-seine nets in near-shore waters, especially during breeding season. The report led to the first comprehensive curbs on purse seine fishing in the state. In February , the state government banned purse seines from the shallow waters between Wai and Murud. No new purse-seine licences are being issued, and mesh sizes have be en restricted to reduce the catch of smaller fish. “We are the first state to impose these rules,” said state fisheries commissioner M B Gaikwad, “Sustainable fishing is the need of the hour.” A 61-day ban on monsoon fishing already exists. Also, traditional fishermen voluntarily close their dol nets earlier than usual in the pre-monsoon months. These measures may alre ady be paying off. Not only has Vasai seen a good catch last month, but much of the Bombay duck catch this time has been the normal adult size. Still, other challenges remain. Pollution flows down the Vasai creek into the estuary, choking breeding grounds. Plastic has become part of the catch. And the proliferation of oil wells off Thane has shrunk traditional fishing grounds. Better infrastructure is also needed, says Anand Mastan of the Maharashtra Machchimar Kruti Samiti. Locals want a proper jetty and fish-drying facilities and some of the subsidies that exporters get. “The purse seine ban is a start,” says Mastan. “But much more needs to be done.”
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