Now the first Technical Session is going to be held, the topic being "TED application in Orisa coast- interaction with trawl owners and local fishermen"
I request Sri Rakhal Shyam Mishra, ex-Deputy Director Fisheries to be the Chairperson of the Session. The Co-Chairman of the Session shall be Sri Ch. Hari Das, Asst Commissioner, Fisheries, Government of India. The Rappoteurs shall be the Deputy Director of Fisheries (Marine) Sri A.C. Nayak and Dr.S.K.Behera, Project Coordinator of Project Swarajya. I request scientist of WII Dr.Bivas Pandav and Wildlife Research Officer of Government of Orissa Dr. C.S Kar to be among the panelists of the Session. I request the scientists of CIFT, CIFNET and FSI who have reached here a short while ago to present their talks in the Session. Now I request these friends to come to the dais and start the proceedings of the Session.
This being an interaction session, any person who wants to speak can do so with the permission of the Chair. Any person might raise a question before the panelists to answer or place it for an open discussion.
The total duration of the present session would be roughly one hour only. Now it is 7 minutes past 1 PM and the session shall continue upto 2.10 PM, following which we shall have a Working Lunch to be finished by 3 PM. Then we shall start the 2nd Technical Session with the topic 'ON-board Turtle Recovery Procedure'.
Now let the 1st Technical Session start.
I express my heartfelt thanks to the organizers of the Workshop for having given me the opportunity of speaking out on behalf of Orissa's trawling community before this august gathering, consisting of eminent authorities and scientists of the country and Orissa State. Let me tell you that never in the past were we given an opportunity like this, to participate in the discussions and deliberations concerning the policies and programmes that affect our lives and livelihood. Of course in certain forums in which we were called to attend, we had given our representation in different forms on our multifarious grievances, which were however very shrewdly bypassed by the administration. As a result, the policies and programmes that were adopted in such meetings didn't reflect at all the demands and aspirations of the fishermen communities. What I am going to deliberate here would be the manifestation of a long pent-up resentment of ours.
I suppose, most of you being family men, must know that a child howsoever innocent, if scolded, beaten and punished for no fault of his repeatedly, then he is bound to revolt against you some day or the other. The protest we staged to-day morning here in this Workshop is a similar outburst of our pent-up resentment. We apologize before you all, if we have hurt anybody by way of expressing our protest. Neither did we have any prior intention of hurting anybody. It is a fact that we ourselves are over-burdened with multitude of pains and sufferings. As you might know, a pregnant woman who is writhing in pain in the labor room does sometimes unknowingly kick even the doctor or nurse treating her, and no doctor minds it. I hope you shall similarly excuse us for our behavior shown to-day morning.
Now let me tell you a brief history of how the trawling industry developed in Orissa. It was around 1975-1976, when Sri Gajendra Mitra was the Director of Fisheries. Some of us got into this business under the then scheme meant for the unemployed graduates. Many of the persons including very knowledgeable ones, who had joined along with me, being ultimately hopeless, have already left this industry, of course except me, the unlucky one.
It is true, thanks to the motivation and assistance by the Department of Fisheries in the initial phase, we felt induced to enter into the trawling business. But thereafter we have been experiencing just the opposite.
First at all, we found the problem of continuous transfer of the top officers like Secretary and Director of the Fisheries to other Departments. Before an officer is able to understand and solve any problem facing the fisheries sector, he is transferred. When we bade farewell to such officers on transfer, some of them used to console us and say, 'I understand and fully sympathize with your problems, but I cannot do anything for you because of my transfer'. As a result of the continuing chaos in the Department, the kind of development the fisheries of other States like Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka saw during these decades, could not materialize in Orissa. Despite the willingness to do positive things for the development of fisher folk on the part of some authorities of the Department of Fisheries, they could not do.
Now the Fisheries Department is headed by the Administrators, but what we want is not administration as such but patronization of the fisher folk by the Fisheries Department. We have seen many competent administrators in this Department and interacted with them too. The former Director of Fisheries used to come here. Though the present Director had come here once before to this place, we didn't however have much of interaction with him. Right now in the present forum, we are having some opportunity of interaction with both Secretary and Director of Fisheries. I do not think these administrators are our enemies but the situation has made everybody helpless. Everybody weeps but without tears. What is the reason? How long shall it continue? How long the fishermen shall tolerate the present scenario of adverse conditions?
As you might know, Murari Commission in their report had recommended the complete waiver of sales tax by the State Government on the supply of diesel to the motorized boat owners engaged in marine fisheries. The said Commission further stipulated that, the State Government would first decide in favour of such waiver, following which the Central Government would accordingly waive the Excise Duty. But our State Government did not implement this recommendation on the grounds of financial crunch. Only a miniscule 35 paise of subsidy per a litre of diesel was allowed, which was again subsequently abolished on the grounds of financial crunch. No other financial assistance was provided to the fishermen from the Centre or State Government.
Price hike of raw materials, decline in production, and moreover, lack of proper price for the products in the international or local market- all these factors combined to land us into a miserable state, which was again precipitated by some unforeseen international events. As you know, the price of shrimp in the international market sank like any thing in the wake of the September 11 attack on USA and subsequent war in Afghanistan. In October last year (2001), the entire trawling industry came nearly to a dead stop.
Some people think, trawl owners are highly rich and profiteering people. They ask, if there be no profits, how the trawling industry has expanded so much. Let me tell you the real truth. The unemployment has increased so much that some people are pushed to this industry irrespective of any consideration for profit or loss. The number of pan shops has also grown all over, but are the pan shop owners millionaires? What happens is like this. Being harassed in different ways, the young men take some money from their parents and arrange a loan from some Bank and then buy a trawler. It is not a fact that profit attracts the people to this trawling business.
We informed about our miserable predicament to the Director of Fisheries and even the Minister for Fisheries. Sometime back, a High-level meeting was held in the Conference Hall of Orissa Secretariate, Bhubaneswar, attended by Minister Fisheries, Minister Tourism, Minister Panchayati Raj, ex-Minister and present M.L.A. Sri Damodar Rout and several M.L.As of coastal districts. It was felt unanimously in that meeting that the interaction of such type was necessary to be made from time to time. It was further decided in the said meeting that due to the financial crunch, the Government instead of providing 100% subsidy on diesel, shall give only 20%.
Earlier the Fisheries Department used to conduct exploratory fisheries in potential river mouth areas and set up fish-netting centres in places identified as potential fishing zones. It was being done to attract the private entrepreneurs to invest their capital in the said areas. Now the exploratory fisheries have been completely stopped. On the other hand, as I said earlier, the interaction with the Director Fisheries has also been discontinued.
Nobody knows today, where the potential fishing zones are. On the other hand, the law has been promulgated banning fishing within 20 km of the coastline in river mouth areas. But as all of you know, the areas within 20 km of the coastline in river mouth areas are also the potential fishing areas. Since there is confluence of fresh water with saline water in river mouth areas, very many types of plankton grow luxuriously in these areas, attracting thereby the fishes for both feeding and breeding. The brackish water of river mouth areas is also suitable for the growth of the fish seedling. As they grow more and more, they move towards the sea.
Every body expects the trawl owners to sacrifice some of their interests for the sake of the turtle. But we are no longer prepared to get ourselves sacrificed, just as the hordes of sheep do. We have been branded as thieves and killers, and so far we silently bore with it, but no longer.
We want to know, in view of the declaration of 'no fishing zones' all along the Orissa coast, where shall we fish? We have been asked to move to far-off areas of the sea, wherefrom easy and quick return ashore is not possible. In the face of an impending natural disaster, if we at all by chance on our hurried return enter into a prohibited area, we have to face a virtual armed force well equipped with lethal weapons. As you know, we go out into the sea for the sake of our livelihood, equipped only with boat and net, with which we can't face a war.
As regards the turtle conservation, we are never opposed to it. Only a wrong notion has been created in the minds of the people about the trawlers being solely responsible for turtle killing. We are proud that the turtles are nesting in our areas. No doubt mass nesting of turtles is a rare phenomenon, which deserves to be preserved for good. Therefore, our proposal is that we stop fishing in the entire turtle season and in stead want the government to compensate for the loss to be so borne by the trawl owners.
We are ready to co-operate with the Government in the matter of turtle conservation in an authentic way i.e. by closing our trawling industry in the turtle breeding season, provided we are paid compensation for the said period of closure. Otherwise there would be always an apprehension of the trawlers killing the turtle. Moreover during this period of 'no fishing', we might help the conservation of the sea turtles. Let the Government provide us with the necessary training and equipment for hatching of the turtle eggs. And we shall do the job just in lieu of some allowance. But nobody heeds our plea. Everybody is worried about turtle, not man.
As you know, there are three layers in the sea, bottom, middle and surface layer. When the turtle migrates, it moves either in the surface layer or in middle layer. A scientist apart, any man having a sound common sense can tell it. Our trawling involves the bottom layer only. I am not able to understand how the scientists say that the turtle is caught from the bottom layer. Do the turtles migrate by crawling in the bottom, for thousands of km? Please look at a picture of Olive ridley turtle; it has wings that help it swim across in the water. If it swims at all, it can do so either in the surface layer or middle layer. How do the experts say that they live in the bottom layer and are killed by our bottom trawling? Such imaginary and wild allegations are often hurled against the trawl owners.
As you know, a man condemned to death is invariably asked, "What is your last will?" But we the trawl owners without being asked about our last will are simply hung to death. Can any body tolerate such a state of affairs?
Now another question haunts us, why does the government spend crores of rupees after Coast Guard and Voluntary Organizations for conservation of sea turtles? Can a part of these funds be not diverted for the welfare of the impoverished fisherfolk? We know, the Government won't do it.
The Director of Fisheries talked of Fish Finders to be supplied to the trawlers. As you may be knowing, the Fisheries Department in Andhra Pradesh had already given a wireless set worth Rs.15,000/- to each trawler long back. But our Government always speaks of financial crunch and do not give any thing to the fishermen. But mind it, we are earning about 150 crore rupees of foreign exchange every year for the country.
In the said High level meeting, we had raised the question of water pollution which was being caused by the Oswal Fertilizers damaging thereby the fish breeding and feeding in the Mahanadi mouth areas. As the minutes of the Meeting say, the decision was taken for directing the Collector Kendrapara to take necessary action against the concerned authorities. But as we know, nothing has so far been done to check such pollution. Rather Oswal Company goes on spreading its pollution as before unhindered. The media are not vocal against this pollution, but they seem to be very much vociferous against the trawl owners for turtle killing. Similarly the voluntary organizations are also concentrating their attack on the trawl owners, forgetting other factors of the turtle death.
Some say that the blow of the propeller of a trawler kills the turtle. But as you know, the ship has 3 propellers, whereas the trawler has one. Has any body raised the issue of the turtle being killed by the propeller of ships? You might know about scientist Darwin's theory of struggle for existence and survival of the fittest. If we believe this theory as true, it is but natural that the turtle would instinctively move away from the propeller of the trawler or ship, simply because of the great noise that the engine of the moving vessel makes. If the trawlers are blamed on account of the propeller killing the turtle, then why not blame the ships or for that matter Paradip Port which harbours the ships? Why not they demand the closure of Paradip Port to check turtle mortality? We know, they don't have guts to question the big, big people.
Those who say that the turtles are killed by the blow of the propellers are also badly mistaken on another ground. When a small bird like pigeon gets inside a room and dashes again the moving fan, it gets immediately dismembered into several parts. Similar would be the case, if a turtle dashes against a propeller of the trawler. But how can one get the full body picture of the turtles, claimed to be killed by the propeller?
Now coming to the question of turtle mortality, some news papers have publicized 10,000 turtles to have died in the current season along Orissa coast, mostly due to our trawling. We are being asked to make some sacrifice for the cause of environment protection, and that too threateningly and at the gunpoint. We are branded as thieves, even terrorists. Today morning, when we asked some journalists about the kind of negative publicity they make against us, they got infuriated and united too. I would not blame all journalists; just as there are both good and bad people in every sphere including we ourselves the trawl owners.
On the question of TED, our plea before the Government is that, if we use TEDs, there should not again be 'no fishing zones' in our coast. When no turtle would die because of TED, why should there be 20 km areas of the coastal waters reserved as 'no fishing zones'. I remember, in the said High level Meeting, every body, even the Ministers felt that Turtle Excluder Device was the only solution. What does TED mean? It means, a turtle if at all caught inside the net, it would escape and not die? Then why should there be a 'no fishing zone' for the sake of turtle conservation? If you however say to us, the protected area is intended for conservation of both fish and turtle, we would appreciate the idea. But why you speak of the area reserved for the turtles only?
Let me point out another factor of turtle mortality. As we have seen, the turtle appears for mating and nesting generally in a cloudy weather, when there is less of oxygen in the water. As every body knows, a turtle when engaged in reproductive activity requires more of oxygen than in the normal time. So the turtle dies. Has any body probed into the natural lowering of the oxygen level in the coastal waters as a possible cause of turtle death?
Just imagine a pregnant turtle migrating thousands of kilometers and facing so many obstacles and hurdles on the way. Shall it not get exhausted? Again having reached our coast it confronts a hostile environment, created by industrial pollution. Shall it not die? Despite the advance of gynecology, the child mortality rate in Orissa is highest in the country. But there is not so much hue and cry over the issue of child mortality, as in the issue of turtle mortality. What is the reason?
Again, is the enumeration of dead turtles as publicized in the media authentic? The areas where the enumeration is supposed to have been done are prohibited and inaccessible areas and as such no body is allowed inside. Did the media men who publish the photographs of dead turtles visit these areas? Why don't you involve our trawler associations in the dead turtle enumeration work? How do you enumerate? What is the authenticity of the figures of dead turtles published in the media? Who is the Government officer that has testified to the authenticity of the enumeration so done? Has there been any post-mortem done on the dead turtles? Even if a turtle has died out of the gynecological complications, or out of the pollution, the blame for its death is invariably thrown on to the trawlers.
As you might know, the turtle nests in the mangrove forests and on grassy beaches. Thanks to the Forest Department, the mangrove forests are almost depleted. Did the trawl owners destroy and sell out the mangroves? You won't find any grass, which has been in fact sold away by the Forest Dept staff themselves. As a result, sea erosion has disfigured the nesting beaches, where in stead you find steps of sands, creating obstacles on the pathway of a nesting turtle to the beach. Earlier we knew that Gahirmatha was the only nesting ground of Olive ridleys and were deeply proud of it. If the population of turtles has not increased, then how the new nesting ground at Rusikulya has come up? Do the educated and intelligent persons not understand all this? Or knowingly they speak and support lies, out of their lure for money?
Let me incidentally inform you about a serious problem that faces the trawl owners of Orissa. That is the absence of the drive on the part of the Fisheries Department for issue and renewal of license to the trawlers. We have told the previous Director of Fisheries and now reiterate our appeal before the present Director to fulfill this long felt demand for issue and renewal of license to the trawlers operating off Orissa coast.
Now I want to pinpoint the demands of the trawling community for your consideration on the issue of TED.
I thank all of you for hearing me for such a long time.
I want to remind you again that we have not come here to debate amongst us. since I have joined the Fisheries Department hardly a month back, I am lacking in adequate knowledge. However, in the light of whatever knowledge I have gathered in this short span, I think there are answers to the questions raised by Sri Kameswar Babu. Regarding the question why the turtles who were first nesting at Gahirmatha moved to Rushikulya, a survey was made by Wildlife Institute of India in 1993-94, which found that earlier too the turtles were nesting in Rushikulya and Devi mouth like Gahirmatha, but this information was limited to the local fisherfolk and was not known to the wider public. I would request the wildlife scientist Dr. Pandav who covered the entire coast on bicycle and motorcycle in connection with this survey, to circulate their survey report among the member of trawler associations.
Regarding the question whether the turtles are killed only by trawling or for some other reasons, let me show a photograph, in which you find lakhs of damaged turtle eggs all over the nesting beach. Such massive damage to the turtle eggs is not caused by the trawlers or fishermen. It is due to some natural factors, which need be studied. I request the Chief Wildlife Warden to conduct necessary studies as to ascertain the causes of mortality of turtles.
Regarding the point relating to mangrove forests, the depletion of which has supposedly led to the failure of egg lying activities of the turtles, the wildlife scientists shall be able to better say on the matter. Whatever I know, the turtle lays eggs on sands, not on grassy land or inside the mangrove forests.
About TED there should not be any restriction on fishing on account of TED in-divided Balasore District. The Chief Wildlife Warden is present here. I want his opinion on the matter. The divided Balasore ranges from Chandipur to Chudamani. Dr. C.S. Kar might also say, if there is any justification of TED or any other restriction on fishing on account of turtle conservation in divided Balasore district.