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1 Available online at International Journal of Research in Fisheries and Aquaculture Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved ISSN Original Article Assessment of the socioeconomic status of fishermen communities: a case study from a selected reach of River Narmada, India Vivek Parashar 1, Satish Kumar Bara 1, Dinesh Damde 1, Ankit Kumar 1 and Vipin Vyas 2* 1. Department of Environmental Sciences and Limnology, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, , India 2. Department of Bioscience, Barkatullah University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, , India *Corresponding Author: Dr. Vipin Vyas, vyasvipin992@gmail.com, Mob: Received 02 September 2016; accepted 15 September 2016 Abstract Fishing is an important income source contributing to the economy of fishing communities living on the banks of River Narmada (India). The aim of this study was to collect information on economic and livelihood conditions of these fishermen communities to identify key issues that might be considered in sustaining their livelihood and ensure their participation in conservation of fish biodiversity. Data were collected using a questionnaire administrated to the fishermen families inhabiting at both banks of the selected reach of river in a single snap-shot survey. The study reveals that income pattern of fishermen is not enough for their annual expenditure which affects their lifestyle and forcing them to change their traditional source of income and dependency on other sources of income for their livelihood activities Universal Research Publications. All rights reserved Key words: India, Socioeconomic status, Fishermen communities, Livelihood conditions, River Narmada. Introduction River Narmada, the fifth largest river of the country, occupies a pre-eminent position among the west flowing rivers of India. Thousands of people inhabiting the basin land and many are dependent on the riverine fisheries known as fishermen community which occupied dominant position with 62.1%, while other communities occupied 29.9%, whereas non-respondents occupied only 8% [1]. The role of fishermen community in fish and fisheries is important for most of the developing and developed countries of the world for income and employment generation point of view. The role of fisheries in the economy of India is gaining a momentum as a result of introduction of advanced techniques to increase the yield per unit area of water and due to its role in earning foreign exchange. Nevertheless without proper infrastructural development, introduction of advanced techniques, proper and planned utilization of available local resources through involvement of local people in fisheries may not be completely fruitful [2]. Socioeconomic status refers to information on a variety of aspects of a community, such as demography, income, living cost, boat transport, fishing gear, marketing infrastructure etc. and provides information for understanding of social, cultural and economical conditions of people, households and community [3]. During the present study, a survey on the socioeconomic status of fishermen community was carried out on a selected reach of River Narmada between Shahganj and Barandur (Bandua) village. The livelihoods the families inhabiting the villages of the zone are dependent on fish resources of the river. The survey of the area basically brings out the information on the salient demographic details of the fishing families, the income from fishing and other sources and pattern of fishing adopted in the area. Also, attention is given on aspects like role of women, status of fishing activities, gear used, attitude towards fish resource conservation, migration undertaken by fishermen etc. since research studies on this aspect are very scanty and fragmentary in India, present study is a step towards getting baseline information about socioeconomic status of fishermen communities inhibiting on the banks of River Narmada. The aim of the study was to collect information livelihood conditions of fishermen communities of a reach of River Narmada that will be useful to understand the status of the population and suggest action to improve their condition. Materials and Method Study Area The study area of the research comprised the reach of River 47

2 Narmada from Shahganj to Barandur (Bandua) located in the central zone of the watercourse between 22º 50 to 22º 43 N Latitude and 77º 36 to 77º 47 E Longitude respectively (Figure- 1). From the selected reach of River Narmada six tributaries feed the river draining through different types of land use and land cover pattern. Among them five are seasonal feed from right bank while River Tawa is the major tributary of the river feed from the left bank. Dams are present upstream and downstream of this reach forming run, riffle and pool habitats [4] along with some protected aquatic habitats which provide food, shelter, protection and breeding grounds for fishes during breeding seasons [5]. In the study area villages were surveyed: eight villages in the left bank and eleven villages in the right bank (Table- 1). Kahar, Manji and Kewat are the traditional fishing communities of this reach those who earned their subsistence by catching fish. Data Collection Survey on the socioeconomic status of fishermen community was conducted as a single snap-shot in the month of May and June, Data were collected using a questionnaire administrated to 389 fishermen families (211 on the left bank and 178 on the right bank) from the 19 selected villages for a population of 2406 persons. The detailed socioeconomic survey questionnaire was prepared trying to take into consideration all aspects of information of fishermen community (Appendix- 1). This questionnaire contains general information of villages, population status of fishermen in village, number and types of houses, involvement of men and women in fishing and non-fishing activities, distance covered for fishing and total number fishermen involved in fishing, types of fish species caught during fishing and its marketing, annual income/average income from fishing and non-fishing source, types and number of crafts and gears (of different size), level of education of the population. Survey of local fish market was also carried out to get an overview of some particular issues such as fish catching, crafts and gears used for fishing, marketing, employment, income, etc. (Figure- 2). Figure- 1: Base Map of the Study Area Data Analysis Collected data and information obtained from the survey were grouped and then analyzed using Microsoft Excel software. Result and Discussion Fish Catching Methods and Marketing Fishermen catch fish using different types of gears which varies by type of fishing operation and targeted species. Gill nets (43%) are commonly used for catching many fish species and considered as low cost gear (Figure- 3). About 52 % gill nets are used on the left bank and 33% on the right bank, whereas cast nets formed 17 % of total gears used on the left bank and 35% on the right bank. The results were in line with Vyas et al., (2007a) [6] reported that fishermen communities of this reach mainly use gill nets and cast nets for fishing than other gears. Besides this scoop net, drag net and hook lines are also used for large scale fishing in the area (Figure- 3). Fishing crafts provide platform for the fishing operations carrying the crew and fishing gears. In the study area, nonmechanized crafts Donga (the wooden flat bottom boat) and Kishti (frame of wood in V-shaped covered with tin or aluminum sheet) are used for fishing (Figure- 4). Donga is used for small scale fishing whereas Kishti is used for large scale fishing. During the survey, 77% Donga and 23% Kishti were available for fishing on the left bank, whereas 84% Donga and 16% Kishti were accessible on the right bank. The use of non-mechanized boats for fishing was also reported for the fishermen communities of Krishna River [7] and Old Brahmaputra River [8]. In total 45% of the 211 families living on the left bank and 55% of the 178 families living on the right bank resulted to be active fishermen. On the basis of active fishermen families all the 19 villages are categorized into three type i.e. small scale fishing village, middle scale fishing village and large scale fishing village (Table- 2). In small scale fishing every household used small gear such as gill nets for fishing. Middle scale fishing serves for commercial purposes while, in large scale fishing variety of gears is 48

3 Figure- 2: Socioeconomic and local market survey in the study area Figure- 3: Percent composition of fishing gears available for fishing in the study area 49

4 Figure- 4: Non-mechanized crafts used for fishing in the area Table- 1: List of villages located in the study area Left Bank (District- Hoshangabad) Right bank (District- Sehore) S. No. Village Latitude Longitude S. No. Village Latitude Longitude 1 Sakatpur 77º E 22º N 1 Shahganj 77º E 22º N 2 Chandla 77º E 22º N 2 Hirani 77º E 22º N 3 Shanichara 77º E 22º N 3 Ramnagar 77º E 22º N 4 Bhilpura 77º E 22º N 4 Joshipur 77º E 22º N 5 Khajanpur 77º E 22º N 5 Zarrapur 77º E 22º N 6 Dongarwara 77º E 22º N 6 Jamuniya 77º E 22º N 7 Randhal 77º E 22º N 7 Budhni Ghat 77º E 22º N 8 Barandur 77º E 22º N 8 Barkheri 77º E 22º45 25 N 9 Guaria 77º E 22º N 10 Patalkho 77º E 22º N 11 Moukalan 77º E 22º N Table- 2: Scale of Fishing in Villages S. No. Small Scale Fishing Village Middle Scale Fishing Village Large Scale Fishing Village 1. Ramnagar Hirani Shahganj 2. Shanichara Chandla Sakatpur 3. Jamuniya Bhilpura Joshipur 4. Khajanpur Barandur Zarrapur 5. Guaria Budhni Ghat 6. Patalkho Barkheri 7. Randhal Dongarwara 8. Moukalan 50

5 Table- 3: Landing sites and Market Available in the Study area Left Bank Right Bank S. S. No. Landing Sites Retail market Whole sale No. Landing Retail market Whole sale Sites 1 Sakatpur Shahganj (R.B.) Shahganj (R.B.) 1 Shahganj Shahganj Shahganj 2 Chandla Shahganj (R.B.) Shahganj (R.B.) 2 Hirani Shahganj Shahganj 3 Shanichara Hoshangabad Hoshangabad 3 Zarrapur Hoshangabad (L.B.) Hoshangabad (L.B.) 4 Bhilpura Hoshangabad Hoshangabad 4 Joshipur Hoshangabad (L.B.) Hoshangabad (L.B.) 5 Dongarwara Hoshangabad Hoshangabad 5 Budhni Budhni Hoshangabad (L.B.) 6 Randhal Hoshangabad 6 Barkheri Hoshangabad (L.B.) Hoshangabad (L.B.) 7 Barandur Hoshangabad 7 Patalkho Hoshangabad (L.B.) Hoshangabad (L.B.) R.B. Right Bank, L.B. Left Bank used and fishermen families are grouped from different villages for fishing (Figure- 5). 8 Moukalan Hoshangabad (L.B.) Hoshangabad (L.B.) Figure- 5: Scale of fishing done by fishermen families After survey of local, retail, wholesale markets, landing sites as well as interview conducted of local fishermen and people it could be stated that fishermen of this reach generally catch low and medium commercial value fishes (e.g. Oxygaster sp., Puntitus sp., Labeo sp. etc.) than high commercial value fishes (e.g. Tor tor sp., Mystus sp., Wallago sp., Channa sp. etc.). In the study area landing sites, retail and wholesale market, where fishermen can sell their catch directly are situated on both banks of the river (Table- 3). Economic Condition Fishing is the major and only source of income for the traditional fishermen, but occasionally they undertakes a variety of fishery-related and non-fishery related activities for, which constitute a substantial part (39%) of their annual income. These income-augmenting opportunities however are very limited. In three villages other source of income except fishing activities were recorded. In particular here people are getting their subsistence from Government jobs or wage labour but the income pattern of the study area is not enough for their annual expenditure and this affects the life style of fishermen communities in the area (Figure- 6). Opportunities for employment and other income-generating activities in the form of agricultural activities, livestock keeping, wage labor etc. to sustain life of fishermen families in closed seasons were also reported in Tanzania [9] and in Bangladesh [8]. Bailey (1994) [10] also noticed that Figure- 6: Income from fishing and non-fishing activities fishermen and their families in South and Southeast Asia often are considered to be among the poorest. Fishermen who own their nets and boats enjoy self-employment and get comparatively more remuneration than the hired fishermen. However ownership of fishing and nonfishing assets among the fishermen is very limited (>40% have their own assets). Fishery-related activities carried out in the villages include fish marketing, trading, gear and craft maintenance and repair etc. provided very limited source of income so that they chose options of non-fishery related activities. Most (<70%) of the fishermen were landless, some possess small land where they have constructed their houses and only few (>30%) have some cropland. Then those who have their own land do cropping in seasons and those who have not their own cropland occupied floodplains of the river to cultivate vegetables and fruits in summer season for their income in non-fishing seasons. Due to lack of bankable assets fishermen could not able to access bank loans as well as absence of Community Based Organisation in villages also force poor fishermen to generate their income from other sources such as wage labour in the other sectors like agriculture, construction etc. or to use destructive methods for fishing during closed seasons for their survival. Some fishermen borrow money from the well off fishermen and other local money lenders to buy inputs for fishing activities. The main constrain in improving their living standard are the lack of inputs and the persistent indebtedness to the traditional credit system. Ruddle (1994) [11] stated that the persistent indebtedness to the traditional credit system also binds fishers to their communities and occupation, as well as the ethos of the fisher and the related sense of sub-cultural identity. 51

6 Household Description Most of the houses in the study area were located in the rural area but have poor living condition and the 73% live in Kutcha house (temporary house formed with mud, bamboo and kapra). On the other hand, 27% of the people are living in Pucca house (permanent house formed with bricks, sand, cement, iron rods etc.) on both side of the reach. In 19 villages, 280 houses are in Kutcha whereas 106 in Pucca condition [12] (Figure- 7). According to Central Inland Capture Fisheries Research Institute (CICFRI) (1991) [1] mostly fishing families live in Kutcha houses in this region. Data from fishermen communities of Old Brahmaputra River (Bangladesh) reported that about 60% of the fishermen live in Kutcha house whereas 40% live in Pucca house [13]. Gender Involvements Among 2406 people inhabiting the study are, 1264 were males and 1142 females. The age composition of the population for every village (Figure- 8) revealed that age group of >18 years (45%) involved in fishing than any other. Based on sex composition, males are in dominating position with percentage of % than female which occupy % of total population in the area. Left bank suffers more population pressure than right bank (Figure- 9). Dominance of male population in fishing sector was also reported in Tanzania [9] and in Karnataka [2]. Traditional gender roles have a bearing on livelihood strategies and years of age group is involved in fishing activities. Women continue to bear the main responsibilities for domestic affairs like homemaking, child rearing and collection of resources for home consumption and men often work outside the house to generate income from various sources like fishing and others for their family [1]. During the study, it was found that women are not Figure- 7: Photograph of Kutcha and Pucca house in the area Figure- 8: Age Group involved in fishing activities Figure- 9: Sex composition divided at both banks involved directly in fishing but indirectly support in fishing activities by preparing and repairing of nets and act as a supply chain of fishes to market. In other words, female involvement in fishing may likely be higher than traditionally understood since much of their activity which is aimed at provisioning for the household is invisible. 52

7 Involvement of women in post fishing activities was also reported in other fishing communities [14] [9], Boserup (1970) [15] and Williams and Awoyomi (1998) [16] reported that the women involvement in the riverine fishing communities is helpful for the rural development process. Caste Patterns The traditional fishing communities of this reach are Kewat (58%), Kahar (33%) and Manjhi (9%) which contribute to total fisher population of the study area. Educational Status The literacy rate is being defined as the percentage of people having minimum exposure to some years of education at primary level. From the survey it was found that literacy rate is low, only 58% of household members are literate in the entire reach. CICFRI (1991) [1] also reported a low literacy rate in this region. Particularly the female education rate (13%) is lower than male. In comparison of all the 19 villages, Shanichara and Budhni villages have better educational status and above 60% of population are literate (Figure- 10). This could due to the fact that these villages are situated near the city of Hoshangabad the only place in the study area hosting school and higher education. Most of villagers got primary, middle and high school education in the entire reach only in Shanichara village some have completed their Higher Secondary, Under Graduate and Post Graduate education level. Poor literacy rate in fishermen communities was also reported by several authors [14] [9] [13]. Figure- 10: Educational status of fishermen community in the study area Livelihood Strategies, Issues and Challenges in Sustaining Fishing Livelihood In the study area, more than 70% households may be termed as Fisheries Dependent and acquainted that the degree of dependency varies between types of villages due to their location and proximity to the water and city area. The survey revealed that less than 45% people are involved in fishing because of their family tradition, part of traditional food collection for home consumption and provision of cheap food source. Due to declining of fish resources people are willing to change their occupation and migrate to some other area. During the study, it was observed that more than 35% people inhabiting villages near city area are involved in diverse income generating sources like job, business, labour etc. The diversification of income generation for subsistence is an important livelihood strategy for majority of people living in the selected reach regardless of primary occupation. Traditional fishing community beside the Old Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh is also struggling to sustain their livelihood because of gradual reduction in fish population [8]. Fishing communities of the reach face various challenges for sustaining their livelihoods. Natural problems like floods, changes in amount of rain etc. control survival and renewability of fisheries resources. Changes induced by human activity in environment such as dam construction, deforestation, use of pesticides and land development etc. pose adverse effects [17]. Due to direct consequences of these natural and human changes loss of habitat, breeding and spawning ground results in reduction of fish catch [5]. Use of illegal and destructive methods for fishing, over fishing etc. charge adverse impacts on fisheries catches and thus income of fishermen communities [4]. Along with the above, fishermen also faced social and economic challenges due to declining resources, increasing fishing pressure, changes in access to resources and market and gender and ethnic inequality, frequent use of illegal fishing techniques by seasonal fishers cause direct competition with local communities. Major challenge is lack of governance and institutional arrangements for fishermen communities in this area. For example, Rahman et al., (2002) [8] reported that fishermen communities of the old Brahmaputra River do not have access to any government or nongovernment organization offering technical or credit support for improving fishing efficiency and management activities. Constraints in the Fishing Communities Socioeconomic constrain like population pressure, low income, illiteracy, low economic status and lack of alternative employment opportunities are the main problems for riverine fisheries development. In the study area, so many fishermen are illiterate and are living in poor condition with lack of basic and important amenities of life such as clean and safe drinking water, electricity, hospital, school for primary and basic education etc. are also a major factor which influencing fisheries activities of the reach. Kabir et al., (2012) [13] also found that fishermen communities of the Old Brahmaputra River are living in poor condition with lack of basic and important facilities of life. Conclusion The study reveals about major findings of socio-economic condition of fishermen communities of a selected reach of River Narmada. The traditional fishing communities are important components in the riverine capture fishery sector. The problem faced by the traditional fishing communities throughout India is more or less similar. It is often suggested that fisheries regulation can conserve the natural biodiversity and improve the livelihood of the fishermen by increasing catch rates at the same time. Importance of the aquatic resources should be emphasized and activities for fishing like net preparation and repairing, fish marketing should takes place on daily basis to support the basic needs of present rural communities since these activities are directly or indirectly dependent on the common fish resources of aquatic ecosystem of River Narmada. 53

8 Activities like Honey Bee farming, horticulture, handicraft etc. should be introduced for income generation during off season for fishing. Discussing with local fishermen community it was found that there is need to organize the community in the form of co-operative society a community based organization which will play as a medium between local authority and fishermen communities and make proper management policies, provide financial, technical, social support, market and reasonable rates for their fish catch. Vyas (2009) [5] stated that some part of the study area comes under protected areas of Madhya Pradesh and needs to be conserved. Along with Community Based Organization there is need to establish such organization which will manage and conserve fish and fisheries resources of this reach for traditional occupation with the help of fishermen communities. Rahman et al., (2002) [8] also suggested for developing the Community-Based Fisheries Management Program to confirm the participation of the poor fishermen in the management of the resources and detect the prospects and problems in achieving a sustainable livelihood pattern for the whole community. Training and technical support through Community based organization is requested to provide financial support from various financial institutions to prevent potential exodus of people from traditional fishing occupation in near future. If this reach will be managed and conserved well then the traditional occupation of fishermen communities and fisheries resources will sustain over years. Acknowledgement Authors would like to thanks Madhya Pradesh State Biodiversity Board, Bhopal for providing financial assistance for the project under which this work had been carried out. Thanks to Mr. Manoj Viswakarma, Mr. Naveen, Mr. Satyendra Singh, Md. Mojeeb Ullah, Mr. Sajjad Ahmad Dar for their untiring support during field work. Kind of help provided by Mr. Hari Ram as supporting staff is also acknowledged. References 1. Central Inland Capture Fisheries Research Institute (CICFRI) (Indian Council of Agricultural Research), Barrackpore, (1991). Sociological Survey of the Fishing Families of the Narmada River, pp. 2. Basavakumar, K.V., Devendrappa, S and Srenivas, S.T. (2011). A Study of Fishing Community of a village in Karnataka. Karnataka J. Agric. Sci. 24(5): pp. 3. Kronen, M., Stacey, N., Holland, P., Magron, F and Power, M. (2007). Socioeconomic Fisheries Surveys in Pacific Islands: A Manual for the Collection of a Minimum Dataset. Secretariat of the Pacific Community. Reef Fisheries Observatory, PROCFish/C and CoFish Programme, Funded by European Union. 127 pp. 4. Vyas, V., Parashar, V., Damde, D and Tuli, R.P. (2007). Mapping of Mesohabitat Diversity in River Narmada in Hoshangabad Region. Fishing Chimes. 27(9): pp. 5. Vyas, V. (2009). Aquatic Protected Areas in River Narmada Around Hoshangabad. Ecology and Fisheries. 2(1): pp. 6. Vyas, V., Parashar, V., Bara, S and Damde, D. (2007a). Fish Catch Composition of River Narmada With Reference to Common Fishing Gears in Hoshangabad Area. Life Science Bulletin. 4(1&2): 1-6 pp. 7. Manna, R.K., Das, A.K., Krishna, Rao D.S., Karthikeyan, M and Singh, D.N. (2011). Fishing Crafts and Gears in River Krishna. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 10(3): pp. 8. Rahman, M.M., Haque, M.M., Akhteruzzaman, M and Khan, S. (2002). Socioeconomic Features of a Traditional Fishing Community beside the Old Brahmaputra River, Mymensingh, Bangladesh. Asian Fisheries Science. 15: pp. 9. Luomba, J.O., Salehe, M and Mlahagwa. (2013). An Assessment of the Socio-economic Status of Fishers Communities in Lake Victoria, Tanzania in relation to Poverty. International Journal of Research in Fisheries and Aquaculture. 3(3): pp. 10. Bailey, C. (1994). Employment, labour productivity and income in small-scale fisheries of South and Southeast Asia. In: Socio-economic Issues in Coastal Fisheries Management. Proceedings of the IPFC Symposium, Bangkok, Thailand, November 1993; FAO Indo-Pacific Fishey Commission (IPSC), No pp. 11. Ruddle, K. (1994). Changing the Focus of Coastal Fisheries Management. In: Community Management and Common Property of Coastal Fisheries in Asia and the pacific: Concepts, Methods and Experiences (ed R.S. Pomery). 189 pp. ICLARM Conf. Proc Census of India (2011). Instruction Manual for Houselisting and Housing Census. Office of The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India, New Delhi, 72 pp. 13. Kabir, K.M.R., Adhikary, R.P., Hossain, M.B and Minar, M.H. (2012). Livelihood Status of Fishermen of the Old Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh. World Applied Sciences Journal. 16(6): pp. 14. Bappa, S.B., Hossain, MdM.M., Dey, B.K., Akter, S and Hasa-Uj-Jaman Md (2014). Socio-economic status of fishermen of the Marjat Baor at Kaligonj in Jhenidah district, Bangladesh. Journal of Fisheries. 2(2): pp. 15. Boserup, E. (1970). Women s Role in Economic Development. New York: St. Martin s Press. 16. Williams, S.B and Awoyomi, B. (1998). Fish as a Prime Mover of the Economic Life of Women in A Fishing Community. Proceedings of the IX th IIFET held in Tromso, Norway, July 1998, pp. 17. Vyas, V., Kumar, A., Wani, S,G and Parashar, V. (2012). Status of Riparian Buffer Zone and Floodplain areas of River Narmada, India. International Journal of Environmental Sciences. 3(1): pp. 54

9 Appendix- 1: Questionnaire for detailed Socio-economic survey of fisherman family DEPARTMENT OF LIMNOLOGY BARKATULLAH UNIVERSITY, BHOPAL - 26 Date:... S. No... Village:... Gram Panchayat:... Block: Name : Caste : House :... S. No. Name Sex Age Activities Income/Month Involvement of women Activity Involvement of women Cultivation-1 Fish Market-6 Fishing - 1 Net repair - 5 Agriculture - 9 Agri. Labour-2 House hold-7 Fish culture - 2 Domestic affairs-6 Handicraft - 10 Casual Labour-3 Handicraft/Small Cottage Work- 8 Fish Marketing-3 Live Stock - 7 Others - 11 Fishing - 4 Others-9 Net Making - 4 Labour-8 Fish Culture-5 55

10 Aquacult ure Production Period Fishing Fishing days Quantity Fish Species generally caught Fish for self use Marketing (Qty/Price) Self Through other Retail Whole sale Distance covered for fishing (Km.) Total Gear and Craft Gears Craft (Boat) Drag nets Gill nets Cast nets Hook line Nets Scoop Nets Size Nos. Size Nos. Size Nos. Size Nos. Size Nos. Type/size Nos

11 Village Profile Data collected during Survey conducted at - Village Population Status of fisherman S No. Population 2001 Population latest Fishermen Population % of Population 2. Caste of fisherman Community S. No 1 Caste Population Total No. of fisherman Houses S. No. Type No. of House 1. Kachha 2. Pakka 3. Total 4. Involvement of women in different activities S. No. Activity Women % of Women 1. Fishing 2. Fish Culture 3. Fish Marketing 4. Net Making 5. Net Preparing 6. Domestic Affairs 7. Live Stock 8. Labor 9. Agriculture 10 Handicraft 11 Others Total Women 57

12 5. How far they go for fishing S. No Km Upstream Downstream No. of Fishermen Total 6. Annual Income S. No. Income in Rs Family Average , ,000-20, ,000-30, ,000-40, ,000-50, ,000-60, ,000-70, ,000-80,000 Above 80, Family income from fishing/other source S. No. Income in fishing (%) Income in other source (%) No of Family

13 8. Craft S. No Craft No. of craft 1. Donga 2. Kisti 3. Total 9. Gear (Net): S. No. Types of Nets Size No. of Family Total No. of Net 1. Drag Nets 2. Cast Net 3. Scoop Net 4. Hook and Line Source of support: Nil; Conflict of interest: None declared 59