605
D. Kar, Wetlands and Lakes of the World,
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-1023-8_28, © Springer India 2013
28.1 Introduction
‘Fisherfolk’ or the ‘fi shermen’ are the instruments
to harvest fi sh from any water body. They are
trained, not only in various methods of fi shing
but also in fabrication of different types of fi shing
implements and devices according to fi sh type,
habitat type and season type. Sometimes, a fi shing
implement is fabricated specifi cally for a particular fi shing community, and often they feel proud
of such identifi cation of a community specialised
in operating a particular type of fi shing implement or device (Kar 2000 ).
28.2 General Account
of the Fishermen in Wetlands
The villages around the shore of a wetland are
generally inhabited by fi shermen belonging to
different communities. The activities of the fi shermen and their socio-economic condition have
been infl uencing the development and utilisation
of its fi shery resources in a signifi cant way. This
aspect has gained importance in view of the comparatively so-called inferior social status of the
fi shermen vis-à-vis overfi shing of the water bodies by these poverty-stricken, so-called less progressive people. Nevertheless, the fi sherfolk
seem to possess a sense of belonging to the
wetland habitat they live in, the wetland being
part and parcel of their daily life.
28.3 Wetland Fishermen
Exemplifi ed from a Typical
Wetland in Asia (Case Study
of the Biggest Wetland
in Assam)
The continent of Asia seems to be bountiful with
wetlands as precious natural resources, particularly in countries in South and Southeast
Asia, like India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand,
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Quite a large number of wetlands in these regions
have been dealt with in this treatise. A large
number of fi shermen, belonging to different
communities, socio-economic backgrounds,
knowledge and expertise levels, etc., inhabit the
wetlands with which their life and livelihoods are
intricately and intimately associated. In NE India,
there are a large number of fi shermen belonging
to diverse types of fi shing communities. They
could be broadly classifi ed, as indicated, into
different categories based on the communities,
intensity of fi shing and so on. Most of the fi shermen in this region belong to the Scheduled Caste
community (if non-tribals) and to the Scheduled
Tribe community (if tribals) as notifi ed in the
Constitution of India. The fi shermen, in general,
are poor and not very literate. There have not
been much ambitious welfare measures for
their upliftment. The cooperative movement has
also been not much well organised among the
fi shermen, except in the province of Tripura.
28
Fishermen in Wetlands
D. Kar, Wetlands and Lakes of the World,
DOI 10.1007/978-81-322-1023-8_28, © Springer India 2013
28.1 Introduction
‘Fisherfolk’ or the ‘fi shermen’ are the instruments
to harvest fi sh from any water body. They are
trained, not only in various methods of fi shing
but also in fabrication of different types of fi shing
implements and devices according to fi sh type,
habitat type and season type. Sometimes, a fi shing
implement is fabricated specifi cally for a particular fi shing community, and often they feel proud
of such identifi cation of a community specialised
in operating a particular type of fi shing implement or device (Kar 2000 ).
28.2 General Account
of the Fishermen in Wetlands
The villages around the shore of a wetland are
generally inhabited by fi shermen belonging to
different communities. The activities of the fi shermen and their socio-economic condition have
been infl uencing the development and utilisation
of its fi shery resources in a signifi cant way. This
aspect has gained importance in view of the comparatively so-called inferior social status of the
fi shermen vis-à-vis overfi shing of the water bodies by these poverty-stricken, so-called less progressive people. Nevertheless, the fi sherfolk
seem to possess a sense of belonging to the
wetland habitat they live in, the wetland being
part and parcel of their daily life.
28.3 Wetland Fishermen
Exemplifi ed from a Typical
Wetland in Asia (Case Study
of the Biggest Wetland
in Assam)
The continent of Asia seems to be bountiful with
wetlands as precious natural resources, particularly in countries in South and Southeast
Asia, like India, Bangladesh, China, Thailand,
Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia.
Quite a large number of wetlands in these regions
have been dealt with in this treatise. A large
number of fi shermen, belonging to different
communities, socio-economic backgrounds,
knowledge and expertise levels, etc., inhabit the
wetlands with which their life and livelihoods are
intricately and intimately associated. In NE India,
there are a large number of fi shermen belonging
to diverse types of fi shing communities. They
could be broadly classifi ed, as indicated, into
different categories based on the communities,
intensity of fi shing and so on. Most of the fi shermen in this region belong to the Scheduled Caste
community (if non-tribals) and to the Scheduled
Tribe community (if tribals) as notifi ed in the
Constitution of India. The fi shermen, in general,
are poor and not very literate. There have not
been much ambitious welfare measures for
their upliftment. The cooperative movement has
also been not much well organised among the
fi shermen, except in the province of Tripura.
28
Fishermen in Wetlands