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Evolving space for fishers’ families
in the western Bay of Bengal region
Yugraj Singh Yadava, Director, Rajdeep Mukherjee, Policy Analyst, Md. Sharif Uddin,
Fishery Resource Officer, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation
C
onfronting
F
amily
P
overty
T
he western Bay of Bengal (WBOB) comprising
Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives
represents a socioecological kaleidoscope. India is
recognized as an emerging economic power and Sri Lanka
boasts a higher level of human development, while Maldives
has much higher per capita income and Bangladesh has
made remarkable progress in alleviating poverty, illiteracy
and in other indicators of human development.
1
Marine fisheries constitute an important pillar of economic
development in all these countries. While its contribution to
the national economies in monetary terms may not be signifi-
cant, the importance of the fisheries sector lies in providing
employment to millions of people in the coastal areas, ensuring
food security and as a valuable source of foreign exchange.
2
Living along the coastline and sourcing livelihoods from
the coastal and offshore waters, WBOB fisher families are
constantly exposed to the vagaries of nature and occupational
hazards. Deeply mired in the traditional family occupation
and with limited options for diversification, their lives and
livelihoods are more vulnerable than their counterparts in
agriculture or other primary-sector occupations. Traditionally,
fisheries have been a male preserve, and resultantly women-
headed households or households comprising mostly women
stand as disadvantaged groups in the community.
Notwithstanding these inherent weaknesses in the sector,
a set of ongoing initiatives by governments, civil society
organizations working with fisher communities, and inter-
governmental bodies like the Bay of Bengal Programme
(BOBP) have been bringing the desired changes and
reducing the odds for fisher families. The BOBP, a regional
fisheries body comprising the above-mentioned countries,
is working with governments, fisher communities and
the private sector to develop solutions for fisher families
towards a sustainable future.
There are about 1.7 million active fishers in the WBOB
region. Conservatively, this is translated to between 1.2
million and 1.7 million fisher families and about 10 million
fisher people directly dependent on fisheries. From a subsist-
ence, artisanal level of fishing until the early 1970s, the
fisheries sector is now becoming increasingly capital-intensive
and fishers are adapting to technology-driven fishery.
Fisheries in the region comprise three basic activities:
preparation for fishing, fishing, and marketing. WBOB
families mostly act as a production unit, with men involved
in fishing and women playing an important role in net
mending, helping the men prepare for fishing and in market-
ing. However, with the advent of capital-intensive fishing
practices such as mechanization, fisheries are being reformed
more in line with business enterprises, with specific roles
such as financiers, service providers (craft and gear), vessel
operators and crew members, marketing chains and process-
ing units. With this development, the role of fisherwomen
in fisheries has in many cases been squeezed.
3
Although
women are still involved in large numbers, especially in local
retailing and primary processing and packaging, their declin-
Growth in the number of active fisher folk in the region
Source: BOBP
Country
Base year
Number
Latest year
Number
Growth
Bangladesh
2007
510,000
2011
516,000
0.3%
India
2005
901,815
2010
1,002,723
2.2%
Maldives
2003
14,891
2012
10,264
-3.5%
Sri Lanka
2004
132,600
2012
180,693
4.5%
Western BOB
2003
1,547,019
2012
1,697,040
1.1%