CHAPTER - 4 FISHERIES IN WEST BENGAL

Transcription

1 CHAPTER - 4 FISHERIES IN WEST BENGAL

2 Chapter- 4 FISHERIES IN W EST BENGAL 4.1. General Information The state of West Bengal lies between latitude 21 3S' to 27 10' North and longitude 85*^38^ to 89*^50^ East. The total area of this stale is 87, 853 sq. km. According to 1991 census the total population of this state was 6, 80,77,965 o f which 52.16% were males and 47,84% were females. It occupied 8.04% of the total population o f India and it ranked 4 according to size of population among the various states o f India. The density of population was 775 persons per sq. km. The sex ratio was 917 females per 1000 males. During the period 1911 to 1991 the growth rate o f population was 2.78% per annum. The scheduled caste population was 23.62% o f total population and the scheduled tribe population was 5.6% of total population. The literacy rate was 57.70% (67.81% among males and 46.56% among females). The scheduled caste l.teracy rate was 42.21% (54.55% among males and 28.27% among females). The number of rural households was and the number o f urban households was The rural literacy rale was 50.50% (62.05% among males and 38.12% among females) and urban literacy rate was 75.27% (81.19% among males and 68.25% among females). The state of West Bengal is divided into 3 Divisions, 18 Districts, 62 Sub- Divisions, 429 Police Stations, 341 Blocks, 333 Panchayat Samities, 3247 Oram Panchayats, Mouzas, Inhabited villages and 379 Towns. Water Resources West Bengal has a vast water resource potentiality. By utilising these water resources there is a great prospect of pisciculture. These resources can be divided into two categories : i) Inland Water Resources and ii) Marine Water Resources. Inland resources constitute ponds, rivers, marshy lands, canals, reservoirs etc. 21

3 Table 4.1 Water Resources of West Bengal A. Inland i) Tanks/Ponds 2,76, Ha. ii) Beel/Baor 41, Ha. iii) River 1,72, Ha. iv) Reservoir 16, Ha. vi) Canal 80, Ha. vii) Brackish 2,10, Ha. Total Ha. B. Marine Depth (in Mtrs) Area (Sq. Km.) , , , , ,000 Total 315,320 Sq.km. Source : Department o f Fisheries, Government o f West Bengal. It should be noted that tanks/ponds occupy the major share i.e % of total inland water resources. But out of 2,76,202 Ha. area under ponds and tanks only 2,20,000 Ha. i.e % are presently used for pisciculture which means 20.35% remains unused. Moreover, out of 5,91, Ha. total inland water resource only Ha. water area is brought under pisciculture i.e % are presently used and 51.44% remains unused. This unused water resources can be brought under pisciculture through proper utilization. In West Bengal marine fishery has a substantial share amounting to a coast line o f 158 km. Inshore area upto 10 fathoms depth is 770 sq. km., offshore area (10-40) fathoms depth is 1813 sq. km. and a continental shelf upto 100 Fathom is sq.km. Out of 19 districts o f West Bengal only two districts East Midnapur and South 24-Parganas are coastal. 22

4 Fishermen Population It is very difficult to count correctly the actual population engaged in fishery because of the general inadequacy of statistical data on fishermen population, the difficulty of distinguishing between part-time/full-time participation and the casual labourer engaged into this profession. According to 1991 census, the number of fishermen in W.B. was 13, Among this population 85.68% were inland fishermen and 14.32% were marine fishermen. The total number of fishermen village was 11,200 and marine village was 652. In the year , the total number of fishermen population of West Bengal was 14,87,149 (among which 53.94%) were males and 46.06% were females) and the number o f fishermen/women with active participation was 6,24,027 (among which 72.73%) were males and 2121% w'ere females) and the number of fishermen/women with occasional participation were 5,31,989 (among which 1531% were males and 24.63%o were females). 4.2 Organisational Set up The State o f West Bengal comprises o f 18 fishery districts and 306 fishery blocks. The West Bengal fishery department dixided West Bengal into 4 zones namely Kolkata, Central, Western and Northern. And 18 districts fall in any one of these zones. There is one Meenbhavana office at each district Head Quarter with an Assistant Director o f Fishery (A.D.F.) as the chief advisor. Zones Districts Calcutta Hoghly, Howrah, Nadia Central Burdwan, Midnapur West, Malda, Murshidabad, Purulia, N- 24Parganas. S-24 Parganas Western Birbhum, Bankura, Midnapur East Northern Coochbehar. D-Dinajpur, N-Dinajpur, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri Source : West Bengal Fisheries Index, FFDA, Meenbhavana, Burdwan. 23

5 Department of Fisheries Government of West Bengal Minister-in Charge (M.I.C) State Level Secretary Director I Additional Director Joint-Director (Monitoring, Evaluation) Marketing, Statistics Joint-Director (Technical) Deputy Director (Regional) Deputy Director (Research) Deputy Director (Trainning) District level Assistant Director Assistant Director Assistant Director C hief Executive (Marine) (BFDA) (District) Officer (C.E.O, FFDA) District Officer (Normal) District Officer (Trainning) District Officer (Co-operative) Fishery Extension Officer Assistant Fishery Officer Panchayat Samity Level Fisheries Development Assistant Principal (Trainning) F.E.O. Fishery Extension Officer 24

6 In each district the fishery advisers are Sabhadhipati, District Magistrate, FFDA, A.D.F and Fishery Extension Officer (F.E.O.) i.e. these are the main functioning bodies. The F.E.O works at the block level. 4.3 Development of Pond Fishery Although there are vast water resources in West Bengal the main problem is how to utilise these water resources. More than half o f the total water area remains unused. In order to utilise the vast water resources for augmenting fish production in a scientific manner, Fish Farmers Development Agencies (FFDA) have been set up in 18 Fishery districts in the State. Besides giving technical guidance to the fish farmers for scientific pisciculture, these agencies also help them to get Government subsidy and institutional finance for their fishery activities. So far Ha. water area in the state is brought under scientific pisciculture through the FFDA assisted programmes. In the hill areas o f Darjeeling the FFDA has taken up pisciculture by impounding running water from hilly streams (Jhoras). There are 2841 Jhora units each unit comprising 140 sq.m. of water area. Over the years the FFDAs have been able to raise the productivity in the FFDAs water bodies from 600 kg. per Ha. per annum in to 3000 kg per Ha. per annum in The average productivity o f FFDA assisted ponds in West Bengal is rated to be the highest in the country. From table 4.2 it is clear that during the year the total area covered under FFDA Programme was Ha. and the no. o f beneficiaries was Now by intensive pisciculture through FFDA the total area has increased to Ha. in and the no. o f beneficiaries increased to in the year

7 Table 4.2 Development of Pond Fishery under Inland Fisheries Project through FFDAs in West Bengal Year Water area covered in No. of beneficiaries Ha. (cumulative) Source : Department of Fisheries, Government o f West Bengal. 4.4 Fish Production and Demand West Bengal is on the top of the list in fish production in the country. With the passage o f time, more and more people are getting themselves involved in fisheries. As fish constitutes the staple food o f the people efforts are being made to augment fish production. Table 4.3 shows the year-wise inland and marine fish production of the state. 26

8 Table 4.3 Production of fish in West Bengal (in thousand tonnes) Year Inland Marine Total quantity Source : Department of Fisheries. Government of West Bengal. From the period 1986 to 2000, the total fish production increased from tonnes to 1045,000 tonnes (i.e times). At the same period the inland fish production increased 2.25 times and marine fish production increased 4.50 times. In the year 1986, the share of inland and marine fisheries to total fish production were 91% and 9% respectively. But in the year 2000, the share o f inland and marine fisheries to total fish production are 83% and 17% respectively. Thus we see that during the period 1986 to 2000, the share o f inland fish to total production declined (from 91% in 1986 to 83% in 2000) and the share o f marine fisheries increased ( from 9% in 1986 to 17% in 2000). 27

9 Tabic 4.4 Year-wise Demand and Production of fish in West Bengal Year Demand Production Deficit (lakh tonnes) (lakh tones) or surplus (-1) (-) ( - ) (-) (-) 0.70 Source : Department of Fisheries, Government of West Bengal Not only in fish production but also in the demand for fish West Bengal is the highest in the country. The domestic demand for fish in West Bengal is high because almost all the people o f West Bengal are fish-eating. Table 4.4 shows that this state has a higher demand for fish than its production o f fish i.e. this state has a deficit in fish supply. To meet this gap West Bengal has to import fish from other states like Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu etc. At the same time various efforts have been made to augment fish production to bridge this gap. 4.5 Brackishwater Fish Culture The state of West Bengal has the largest impounded Brackish water area in the country. To utilise this vast water area three Brackishwater Fish Farmers Development Agencies (BFDA) have been set up in the coastal districts of Midnapore, N-24 Parganas and S-24 Parganas. The main objective of this scheme is to provide a package of technical, financial and extension support to shrimp farmers. The farmers have adopted improved traditional culture according to the guidelines of Acquaculture Authority of India to maintain the eco-system of the coastal area. Macro brachium (Galda) culture is a new idea to the fish farmers o f this state. Prawn along with other fishes are also being produced in a polyculture. For improved quality prawn seed collection, 14 macro-brachium hatcheries and 4 (four) p. Monodon hatcheries are being set up in the coastal area o f this state. From table 4.5 it is clear that, during the period from 1990 to 1999, under the BFDA programme the total water area covered has increased from Ha. to Ha. During the same period 28

10 the number of trained fish farmers has increased from 1000 to 8151 and the total number of beneficiaries has increased from 398 to Table- 4.5 Achievement (cumulative Total Under BFDA of West Bengal) Year No. of seed collectors trained No. of farmers trained Water Area covered (ha.) No. of beneficiaries Source : Department o f Fisheries, Government of West, Bengal. A new island named "Meendwip" located near Haldia has been selected for this aquaculture development programme. This "Meendwip offers a great opportunity for shrimp culture. About 250 Ha. water area is being utilized by cooperative societies with the financial assistance o f NCDC and the rest o f the water area has been kept for prawn farming by individual entrepreneurs. After the completion o f the project, it is expected that it will be the biggest shrimp farm area in the country. A World Bank aided Fish and Shrimp culture project has been taken in the 480 Ha. brackish water area at four sites, namely Digha and Dadanpatrabar in Midnapore district and Canning and Dighirpar in S-24 Parganas. 4.6 Development of Bee! Fisheries The total area under Reels (i.e. ox-bow lakes) in West Bengal is 41, Ha. i.e. 7.06% o f the total inland water resources. At first these beels were connected with rivers but latter most of the beels lost their connections from the mother river svstem. 29

11 To utilize these water resources these beels have been brought under carp culture mainly to increase fish production. The commercially important species o f fish seeds (i.e. carps) are used into these beels. The productivity o f these beels is the highest in the country. The Primary Fishermen s Co-operative Societies (PFCS) help the fishermen community giving them financial and technical supports. 4.7 Marine Fisheries in West Bengal West Bengal has a coast lime of 158 km in the Bay of Bengal. Though the coast line is very small but it is enriched with high quality nutrient fishes which has high export value. The main productive areas are the creeks and canals of the Sundarbans in the Bay o f Bengal. In the early days, the fishermen caught marine fish by traditional crafts and boats and hence their productivities were very low. But with the passage o f time, the demand for marine fish has gradually increased. To meet this demand improved fishing techniques (i.e. the mechanization of the fishing vessels and modernization o f the fishing gears) are being used by the sea going fishermen. As a result the total marine catch of fish has risen many-fold. The sea-going fishermen buy high powered mechanized boats with the help o f bank loans. To augment fish production by generating rural employment and providing scope for economic upliftment o f the poor fishermen community, a pilot project has been taken up since During the period from 1982 to 1999, the number of mechanized boats increased from 44 to 37 62, the number of traditional boats increased from 36 to 4850 and the number of beneficiaries under this programme increased from 560 to 47,888. To catch fish in the sea area of Bay of Bengal is too much risky for the fish farmers during the stormy period which is very uncertain phenomenon. To protect the fish farmers the use o f Satellite information service received from the National Remote Sensing Agency. Hyderabad is very effective for the development of marine fish production. Moreover, the information in daily special weather reports broadcasting by All India Radio and Doordarsan, Calcutta and the daily newspapers are also helpful media for the sea-going fishermen. The programmes o f supply of wireless walky-talky for use in the fishing boat and installation o f wireless communication center at Digha and Fraserganj have been taken up and the work is in progress. 30

12 There are two minor fishing harbours in West Bengal : one at Shankarpur near Digha and the other at Fraserganj in the Sundarbans. The model harbour Shankarpur has all kinds of infrastructural facilities and also this place is famous as an ecotourism center. The Shankarpur Fishing Harbour with its total area of acre is under the administrative control o f the West Bengal Fisheries Corporation Ltd. Now, more than 500 mechanised boats per day are operating at Shankarpur and has a berthing facility for 150 vessels. Fraserganj fishing harbour in S. 24-Parganas has a berthing facility for 200 vessels and also for 500 mechanised boats. Moreover, there are 53 Fish Landing Centres distributed in the coastal areas o f the districts of S-24 Parganas, N-24 Parganas and East Midnapore. The West Bengal Marine Fishing Regulation Act'93 and the Marine Fishing Regulation Rules 95 are being enforced in the interest of poor fishermen and to utilize the marine resources. 4.8 Welfare Measures The Fisheries Department of the Government o f W.B. is also engaged in different welfare programmes for the fishermen under inland, marine and brackish water sectors. Group Personal Insurance Scheme as a measure of providing economic security to fishermen and their families against loss of life or permanent disablement benefit was started in Financial assistance of Rs. 35,000 in case o f death and Rs. 17,500 in case o f disablement is extended against annual premium of R s.l2 only, which is borne by the Government. Up to the end of the year 2000, the total number of fishermen under insurance coverage is 1,52,380, the total number of cases referred for benefits is 572 families and the total number of benefits already given is 539 families while the total amount disbursed is Rs The Savings-cum-Relief Scheme was introduced in and 5,000 marine fishermen were benefited. Under this scheme the marine fisherman has to deposit Rs. 45 per month for a period of 8 months fishing period and to get back Rs. 270 per month during the 4 months lean period. For the identification of fisherman, the Fishery Department has issued Identity Cards' to the fishermen. Since about 1,60,000 fishermen have been issued these identity cards. The 'Old-Age Pension Scheme was started in to help the old fishermen/women who do not have any other alternative means o f livelihood. Under this scheme, the pension rate was Rs. 100 per month and it was revised in 1991 to Rs.300 per month. The West Bengal Inland Fisheries Act, 1984 as amended in 1993 and 1997 have been implemented for the welfare of the fishing 31

13 community and to utilise the water resources in a sustainable manner. Wetlands in West Bengal have played a crucial role in our eco-system by maintaining a balance between flora and fauna including fish. But the growing demand for land has made an adverse effect for the preservation of land water system. Scientists have showed that 3 bighas forest area are equivalent to 1 bigha plank origin in water bodies. These invisible planks create more oxygen (O2) than the forest of equal area. Thus pisciculture has a positive effect on ecology. For creating awareness among the people to conserve wetlands, Fisheries Department, West Bengal marked 16 June i.e. the first day o f Bengali Ashad as Wetland Day. According to the Inland Fisheries Act to fill up a water body having a size of 5 Katha or more is strictly prohibited. The first housing scheme was taken up by the Fisheries Department in when 25 houses in each of the districts of Midnapore and S-24-Parganas were constructed. This was followed by a massive programme through Indira Avas Yojana. The National Welfare Fund for Fishermen constructed some model villages for fishermen in the various districts o f West Bengal. The name o f the model village of Birbhum district is Kalinagar Colony and in Burdwan district it is Purba Satgachi. Under the Basic Minimum Ser\'ices Programme 13 model villages has been taken up in the year 1999 for 1,062 fishermen families. Table 4.6 Achievements of Housing Programme Name of the scheme No. of houses No. of Employment constructed families generated (Mandays) benefited State plan ,000 Indira Avas Yojana 12,797 12,797 44,41,000 National Welfare Fund 1,886 1,886 6,40,900 Source : Department of Fisheries, Government of W. B. Since fish is a perishable commodity it must be stored up. For this purpose the West Bengal Government set up 130 ice plants and 36 cold storages with a storing capacity o f 2468 MT. A Dry Fish Processing center has been set up at Junput in Midnapore district. By using special machines, this center converts the low value fish into a delicious and hygenic dry fish. 32

14 Sewage Fed Fisheries This is a unique system o f recycling the urban waste into productive use. The urban waste water can be purified and used for pisciculture. The sewage-fed fisheries are developed in the eastern fringe o f Kolkata Nabadwip and Serampore in the Ganga Action Plan. This type o f fisheries maintain ecological balance. Since there is no health hazard due to consumption o f these fishes sewage fed fish is a major supplier o f fish to Kolkata. Research and Training Grassroot level training is essential for the scientific development of pisciculture and also for the upliftment o f the rural community. The State Fisheries Research and Training Centre is situated at Kulia near Kalyani and the Marine Fisheries Training Centres are at Namkhana in the district of S. 24-Parganas and at Shankarpur in the district o f Midnapore. To train the fish farmers the state Government has established one Meenbhavana at each district head quarter. Meenbhavana works as training cum administrative center. Moreover, during the training period some amount of remuneration is paid by the Gox ernment to the fish farmers. 33