NEW DELHI, Aug 28 (IPS) – As sea levels rise due to climate change, Indian fishermen often travel illegally into international territorial waters in search of a good catch. They are jailed and their boats impounded, pushing their families into poverty. Climate change is forcing millions of Indian fishermen to venture outside the country’s exclusive economic zone into the dangerous open sea.
Looking for a better catch, about 4 million from India’s 28 million Fishermen often run a greater risk of being caught by neighbouring countries.
“Earlier, fish used to come close to the shore, but now we have to go further out to sea to find them. Our fishing season lasts for about a month and it takes several days to reach our fishing spot. This time increases with every season and lately the number of days we spend at sea has doubled,” Jivan R. Jungi, a leader of a fish workers’ association from Gujarat, India, told IPS.
It has not only made life difficult for fishermen, but also affected their families, which according to official data amount to around 16 million people.
India, a country in South Asia with a coastline of 7,500 kilometers, depends on aquatic products such as fish and shrimp for its national income.
According to a recent report from the Indian ExpressIndia exported around 17,81,602 metric tonnes (MT) of seafood, generating a significant revenue of ₹60,523.89 crore (USD 7.38 billion) in fiscal year 2023-24.
“The government is not taking care of us at all, despite the high profit margins in the fishing industry. They are not even providing the basic benefits that the government can provide, such as fire safety,” Jungi told IPS. “Our boats are made of wood and run on diesel, which increases the risk of fire. We have been asking for safety measures or compensation for years, but nothing has been done, even as we face the growing challenges of climate change.”
Their plight is exacerbated by Indian government policies, including a recent provision in the National Fisheries Policy 2020which promotes “deep-sea fishing and fishing in areas beyond national jurisdiction to exploit underutilized resources.” This policy is aimed at generating more income for the country, but comes at the expense of fishermen.
Temperature rises comparable to Hiroshima bomb
A report from Down to earth, According to a study by Science Direct, temperatures in the Indian Ocean could rise by 1.7 to 3.8 degrees Celsius between 2020 and 2100.
To illustrate the severity, Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology, is quoted as saying: “The expected increase in heat content is comparable to the energy of one explosion of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima every second, continuously, for an entire decade.”
Fishermen along the Indian coastline are facing increasing challenges, leading to conflicts with neighbouring countries such as Pakistan, Indonesia, Sri Lanka and Saudi Arabia.
According to India’s Ministry of Foreign AffairsBetween 2020 and 2022, more than 2,600 Indian fish workers were jailed in ten Indian Ocean countries for maritime border violations. The highest number of arrests was in Pakistan (1,060), followed by Saudi Arabia (564) and Sri Lanka (501).
At sea, in danger
The issue of maritime boundaries and fishing rights goes deeper and often causes conflicts between fishermen from different countries. When fishermen cross the waters of another country and catch fish, the local fishermen claim ownership of the catch, which leads to disputes.
This tension among fish workers can have serious consequences. Moreover, after their arrest, instead of being treated as civilian prisoners, they sometimes face appalling conditions, including the risk of dying in foreign prisons.
As reported by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, nine Indian fishermen died in Pakistani prisons in the past five years. In 2022, an Indian fisherman named Maria Jesind was reportedly murdered in an Indonesian prison.
This situation is all too familiar to fishermen, especially those from India and Pakistan, who have long been caught in the political crossfire between their governments.
Historically, the lack of a clear demarcation line has forced fishermen to venture deeper into the sea without adequate security. As a result, both countries have been arresting fishermen from each other’s territory for years.
Last year, 499 fishermen were released by Pakistan on July 3, 2023, after numerous attempts to free them by civil society organizations. These fishermen, accused of violating the Passport Act by trespassing, are jailed after trials and usually receive sentences of a few months. The official sentence is usually six months, but the release of these fishermen is rarely quick, with many serving more than five years.
“But there are more deaths. Balo Jetah Lal died in May 2023 in a Pakistani jail; Bichan Kumar alias Vipan Kumar (died on April 4, 2023); Soma Deva (died on May 8, 2023); and Zulfiqar from Kerala (died on May 6, 2023) in Karachi jail,” Jungi says, adding, “Vinod Laxman Kol died on March 17 in Karachi and his mortal remains were brought to his village in Maharashtra on May 1, 2024.”
While the arrests and deaths have a major impact on the fishermen’s families, they also have a broader impact on the community and challenge their way of life and livelihoods.
Fishing workers are now demanding that they not be arrested or shot, but rather sent back if they cross maritime borders.
After their release, the fishermen struggle to make ends meet as the arresting authorities rarely return their boats, resulting in a lifetime debt of around Rs. 50-60 lakhs (USD 5-6 million) per boat. As a result, the workers are now demanding that their boats be returned and that the government ensure that the families of arrested fishermen receive support through policies and schemes, including education opportunities for their children, to prevent them from falling into extreme poverty.
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
