Kerala’s Dori fishing poses challenge to mechanised trawlers

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Kochi: The ingenuity of the Dori system of fishing (DSF), which enables the traditional fishing community to access deep-sea resources at an affordable cost, could be the panacea for the problems plaguing the fisheries sector of the nation. Kerala has been witnessing regular conflicts between the mechanised section, which does bottom trawling, and the traditional fishermen who fish in country crafts for pelagic fish. Declining marine resources and intense competition between the traditional and mechanised sector has put at stake the survival of lakhs of people dependent on fishing. The fishing community of the state has been voicing concerns on foreign fishing trawlers exploiting the marine resources in the deep seas nearer to the nation, while they themselves starve in the lean months.

The Kerala State Co-operative Federation for Fisheries Development Ltd. (Matsyafed), the co-operative apex federation of primary level cooperative societies, engaged in the welfare of the fishing community, launched the Dori scheme to help the traditional fishermen for exploiting the marine wealth of the deep sea. DFS comprises of a mechanised mother vessel with six traditional fishing crafts attached to it. Under this system, traditional fishermen venture into the deep sea with the help of the mother vessel, which is equipped with the latest equipments like GPS, fish finding sonar's, freezers and life saving equipment. The catch is sent to the coast by the carry boats, while the dory remains at sea for several days engaged in fishing activity. "The system reduces the cost of transportation, ensures safety of the participants, and also guarantees more catch and better revenue," G Babu of Matsyafed told FE.

The cost of a DFS unit comes to Rs 25 lakh. Out of this, Rs 20 lakh is being provided as grant and the remaining Rs 5 lakh is beneficiary contribution. Matsyafed plans to launch 20 DFS units across the state. The craft, which is 90 feet long, is also double the length of a mechanised fishing boat and is fabricated with all mechanical devices, including winches. With each trip, a dory craft returns with catch weighing between 3,000 to 4,000 kg, while the maximum catch for other mechanised crafts is well below 1,000 kg.

Conflict

The system has also thrown up a debate over its sustainability and impact. The motorised craft owners contest that the Dori system has its faults and would end up destroying the environment fish species like sardines and mackerels, harvested through pelagic fishing. Permission for DFS in the period when trawling is banned would damage the intention of conservation, says a section of experts.