Where has the fish gone in Harnai?

At 4 pm every day the fish market at the Harnai beach in Ratnagiri gets buzzing Fresh catch from the trawlers gets unloaded and bullock carts ferry it to the spot where an auction is unfolding Kilos of pomfret kingfish mackerel jumbo prawn lobster squid sting ray are sold in bulk and transported to Mumbai and other citiesIts a bargain The catch is fresh and cheap almost onefourth the price of what you pay in Mumbai The yearend sees plenty of tourists from Mumbai and Pune flocking the scene and packing icebox full of seafood to take homeA mechnaised trawler is equipped to go deeper in the sea and expected to bring back plenty of catchHowever according to locals many returned home disappointed last year There was not enough fish in the seaHarnai in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra with its 1200 boats is one of the only few ports in the country that follows sustainable fishing practices The waters in the DabholHarnai belt have forever been abundant with marine life but the last three years have been difficult for the local fisherfolk on the Konkan coastHarnai a historic port with 1200 boats still practices sustainable techniques for fishingMubeen Harge Chairman Swarnadurga Fishing Cooperative Society in Harnai tells midday The cyclones on the West coast especially Nisarg last year created great havoc and affected us deeply In addition across the Western coast including the shores of Goa Karnataka and Kerala LED fishing is being done Fish are attracted by holding a light above water or suspending it below water Fish are then caught using nets in large quantities This has led to a depletion of supplies because juvenile fish are killed It has become a sustainability issueAslam Khan former chairman of the society highlights the overfishing of sardines which are food for other fish as another problem The fishermen of Harnai had organised protests at Azad Maidan and Sassoon Dock three years ago to highlight the issue Khan believes its not long before fishermen too fall prey to suicides due to pressures their traditional occupation is facing Loans are now also tougher to come by Previously the National Cooperative Development Corporation NCDC used to give us 75 per cent loan and 25 per cent came from the government Since 2016 NCDC has stopped the loans Our boats are in bad shape and need repairsMubeen Harge Chairman Swarnadurga Fishing Cooperative SocietyExplaining the math behind a fishing trip Harnai local Azim Sarang says that while previously the cycle for trawlers was two to three days now its between eight to 15 days One trip takes four barrels of diesel each costing R20500 Add to it the cost for ice and seven member labour They dont return unless they feel they have enough return on investment which is more than a lakh per tripAlissa Barnes is an independent marine biologist specialising in shark and ray fisheries She explains that fish missing from the sea cannot be an overnight phenomenon Rapid declines have occurred over the last 50 years especially after trawl nets were introduced in the 1960s along the east and west coasts to harvest shrimp This was aided she says by the Food and Agriculture organisation FAO and the IndoNorwegian project However the last five years have been especially hard considering major climate change And the pandemic only made matters worseBack with a catch The fuel labour and provision cost for a trawller runs into lakhsIt looks like a vicious cycle then with multiple factors including recent cyclones along the west coast causing chaos in the marine ecosystem Unhealthy fishing behaviour including increased soak time duration where the net is setdragged under water and number of times nets are set leads to decreased availability The fishing grounds then move further away into open waters leading to fishermen using bigger boats and higher horse power engines And if bottomtrawl gear is used it destroys the seabedConcrete reclamation in the coastal road has done more harm than good for fishing Its a recipe thatll destroy what Sarita Fernandes managing trustee Morjim Sea Turtle Trust and Capan Seas calls the peace of the coastal zone Tide diversion and shifting of tidal boundaries lead to complications because these zones are also the breeding ground for economical catch like lobster prawn and deep sea pelagic fishAzim Sarang Aslam Khan and Alissa BarnesBarnes feels a good place to start is to be mindful of what fish you eat She says Eat local If you have access to spaces where fishermen landsellbuy fish talk to them ask them about different varieties they catch On a larger scale policy change is a must but the idea should be to find customisable solutions for each region Australia and the US are good models to look at for laws and management plans although copy pasting plans never works Its always prudent to involve the fishing community in policy changes since it affects their livelihoodSeafood is not chickenDivya Karnad Assistant Professor Ashoka University and Cofounder InSeason FishWe cannot treat seafood as if it is the same as chicken Seafood includes hundreds of species Eating diverse is the key to a healthy life and healthy oceans At InSeason Fish we promote eating diverse through our seafood calendar available on the website wwwinseasonfishcom which helps you choose when to sustainably eat 100 varieties We have also done research on recipes for the unusual varieties and feature them on our social media page