184
J. Scholtens and M. Bavinck
coral reefs and hosts an exceptional diversity of sponges, molluscs, crustaceans,
seaweeds, sea grasses and fi sh ( Venkataraman and Wafar 2004 ) . In her analysis of
India’s coastal resources, however, Bhathal ( 2005 , 64) argues that Tamil Nadu’s
marine resources are in “a downward spiral with no reversal in sight”. This process
manifests itself in a decline of the mean trophic level. Many fi shers have already
signaled the alarming trend, reporting that the species they often encountered in the
past now seem to have disappeared. They also point out that the average size of the
species caught has reduced. More speci fi cally, the catch per unit of effort (CPUE)
appears to be diminishing, as fi shers note that aggregate catches have not increased
in line with the expansion of fi shing effort.
In conclusion, the natural system-to-be-governed is characterized by a high diversity of species, typical of a shallow marine ecosystem in the tropics. In terms of
dynamics, two aspects stand out: (a) the seasonal monsoon, which disrupts the Bay’s
tranquility and affects fi shing patterns; and (b) the steady growth of fi shing pressure
that seems to exert a negative in fl uence on the rich ecology of the area.
The Socio-economic System-to-Be-Governed
Fishing Activity
Trawlers were introduced to the Palk Bay (and India) in the late 1950s through an
intensive governmental modernization program (Bavinck 2003 ) . The size of the
fl eet increased gradually to about 2,800 in 2000, after which the fi gure reduced to
the current 1,750 (during low season) and 2,170 (during high season) in 2007
(Sathyapalan et al. 2007 ) . This trawl fl eet is dispersed over ten locations (see
Fig. 10.1 ), ranging in size from a jetty at Tondi (a mere 12 boats) to Rameswaram
harbor (670 vessels).
3
Compared to other fl eets in Tamil Nadu, the trawlers operating in the Palk Bay
are generally small in size and capacity (length: 28–45 ft; capacity: 50–120 hp).
Most boats lack global positioning devices, echo sounders and other advanced
fi shing instruments (Sathyapalan et al. 2007 ) . In addition, the majority of boats are
poorly maintained.
The spatial and temporal scope of fi shing activity is partly determined by a set of
governmental rules and regulations. Trawl fi shers have of fi cially been allocated a
fi shing ground that commences at three nautical miles (nm) from the coast, and
extends to the Indian-Sri Lankan International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)
(located between 14 and 30 nm from the Indian coastline). These restrictions imply
that each trawler has no more than 2.5 km
2 of fi shing ground, which is considerably
lower than the Indian average of 10 km
2 . In practice, however, fi shing grounds
extend well beyond the IMBL into Sri Lanka waters and also into the inshore waters
reserved for small-scale fi shers.
3 The number of trawlers per village is based on our own counts, carried out from February to April
2007], which were lower than the of fi cial fi gures provided by the Fisheries Department.
J. Scholtens and M. Bavinck
coral reefs and hosts an exceptional diversity of sponges, molluscs, crustaceans,
seaweeds, sea grasses and fi sh ( Venkataraman and Wafar 2004 ) . In her analysis of
India’s coastal resources, however, Bhathal ( 2005 , 64) argues that Tamil Nadu’s
marine resources are in “a downward spiral with no reversal in sight”. This process
manifests itself in a decline of the mean trophic level. Many fi shers have already
signaled the alarming trend, reporting that the species they often encountered in the
past now seem to have disappeared. They also point out that the average size of the
species caught has reduced. More speci fi cally, the catch per unit of effort (CPUE)
appears to be diminishing, as fi shers note that aggregate catches have not increased
in line with the expansion of fi shing effort.
In conclusion, the natural system-to-be-governed is characterized by a high diversity of species, typical of a shallow marine ecosystem in the tropics. In terms of
dynamics, two aspects stand out: (a) the seasonal monsoon, which disrupts the Bay’s
tranquility and affects fi shing patterns; and (b) the steady growth of fi shing pressure
that seems to exert a negative in fl uence on the rich ecology of the area.
The Socio-economic System-to-Be-Governed
Fishing Activity
Trawlers were introduced to the Palk Bay (and India) in the late 1950s through an
intensive governmental modernization program (Bavinck 2003 ) . The size of the
fl eet increased gradually to about 2,800 in 2000, after which the fi gure reduced to
the current 1,750 (during low season) and 2,170 (during high season) in 2007
(Sathyapalan et al. 2007 ) . This trawl fl eet is dispersed over ten locations (see
Fig. 10.1 ), ranging in size from a jetty at Tondi (a mere 12 boats) to Rameswaram
harbor (670 vessels).
3
Compared to other fl eets in Tamil Nadu, the trawlers operating in the Palk Bay
are generally small in size and capacity (length: 28–45 ft; capacity: 50–120 hp).
Most boats lack global positioning devices, echo sounders and other advanced
fi shing instruments (Sathyapalan et al. 2007 ) . In addition, the majority of boats are
poorly maintained.
The spatial and temporal scope of fi shing activity is partly determined by a set of
governmental rules and regulations. Trawl fi shers have of fi cially been allocated a
fi shing ground that commences at three nautical miles (nm) from the coast, and
extends to the Indian-Sri Lankan International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL)
(located between 14 and 30 nm from the Indian coastline). These restrictions imply
that each trawler has no more than 2.5 km
2 of fi shing ground, which is considerably
lower than the Indian average of 10 km
2 . In practice, however, fi shing grounds
extend well beyond the IMBL into Sri Lanka waters and also into the inshore waters
reserved for small-scale fi shers.
3 The number of trawlers per village is based on our own counts, carried out from February to April
2007], which were lower than the of fi cial fi gures provided by the Fisheries Department.