The roles of women fisherfolk in the fishing industry in India and the impacts of development on their lives

Brake, Constance Elaine (2001) The roles of women fisherfolk in the fishing industry in India and the impacts of development on their lives. Masters thesis, Memorial University of Newfoundland.

[English] PDF (Migrated (PDF/A Conversion) from original format: (application/pdf)) - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. Download (8MB) [English] PDF - Accepted Version Available under License - The author retains copyright ownership and moral rights in this thesis. Neither the thesis nor substantial extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's permission. (Original Version)

Abstract

Women in fishing communities have always been involved either directly or indirectly in the fishing industry, yet their involvement has sometimes been overlooked. In recent decades, changes in both the global fishing industry and the economy have often negatively impacted the lives of India's traditional fisherfolk, a marginalized coastal people. Much can be learned from their experiences. This report examines the experiences of women in two fishery dependent areas of India for their wider lessons. -- From 1952 to 1972 several villages in Kerala, India, received Norwegian fisheries development assistance - the first bilateral development agreement in the Third World. The Indo-Norwegian Fisheries Project (INP) was a community development project that emphasized fisheries development. The construction of a health clinic and wells for safe drinking water have benefitted the women fisherfolk of the area. During another fisheries development initiative in the early 1980s, the Indian government introduced trawlers to several villages in another state, West Bengal. The mechanization of the fishing industries of both Kerala and West Bengal displaced women from traditional activities and changed their work roles. -- These cases are not exceptions; they illustrate a global phenomenon. Industrialization has generally, in the long run, negatively impacted the lives of small-scale artisanal fisherfolk, those most dependent on fishing for subsistence. In response to changes in the biological, economic and social dimensions of the fishing industry India's fishworkers have organized to gain a voice in the decision-making affecting their industry and lives. -- This report concludes with recommendations toward a more beneficial approach to development planning for arsitanal fishing populations. This goal may best be realized by balanced consideration and representation of the voices, roles and needs of both fishermen and women in their industry and community.

Actions (login required)

View Item