Traditional access rights and methods of fishing in inland water bodies: Are women slowly losing out? A study from Kerala, India

Abstract

Gender divisions are often stereotypical in fisheries, and only recently has their role in wild fish capture begun to see light, with evidence indicating that fish harvest by women can be substantial, especially in small-scale fisheries. The state of Kerala on the southwest coast of India is one of the major fish-producing states in the country. However, what is not well recognized is that women are extensively involved in fishing, especially in inland water bodies. In this communication, we use a gender analysis framework to situate the women in selected inland fisheries through case studies, document the methods of fishing, and explore how the fish catch is utilized. We further look at whether changes in the use of inland water bodies and other external factors are impacting their fishing activity. Using social relations analysis, we try to understand the changing resource access dynamics. Access rights to many of these water resources were based on informal and customary arrangements. These arrangements are now severely stressed due to the need to accommodate multiple uses of these resources. Changes in access will in the long run have an impact with women slowly losing out on this important, though unrecognized, livelihood activity which will also affect essential nutrition and supplementary income to fisher households.

Keywords:

• Women
• small-scale fishing
• India

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Director, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology for permission to publish this paper. The cooperation of all respondents is also gratefully acknowledged.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Convention on Wetlands is an intergovernmental treaty that provides the framework for the conservation and wise use of wetlands and their resources. The Convention was adopted in the Iranian city of Ramsar in 1971 and came into force in 1975.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Nikita Gopal

Nikita Gopal is Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology (ICAR-CIFT), Kochi, Kerala, India. In her research career of 25 years, she has worked on women in seafood processing, small scale aquaculture and fisheries, seaweed farming, dried fish production and small scale fish vending.

Rakesh M. Raghavan

Rakesh M. Raghavan is Senior Technical Assistant at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. His work includes collection and coding of qualitative data. In this study he assisted in interviewing the fisherwomen respondents.

P. Sruthi

Sruthi P. is Senior Technical Assistant at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. In this study, she interviewed fisherwomen and assisted in data analysis. She is working on migration among marine fishers for her doctoral research.

K. Rejula

Rejula K. is Scientist at Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi, Kerala, India. Her specialization is in Fisheries Extension and she handles projects related to social psychology, entrepreneurship and gender.

P. S. Ananthan

Ananthan, P. S. is Principal Scientist at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Institute of Fisheries Education, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. His work includes exploring fishers’ livelihoods, including that of fisherwomen, in relation to ecology, fisheries development and governance in a globalizing and changing climate scenario.