Fisheries Exploitation in the Indian Ocean: Threats and Opportunities

8. The (In)Security of Fishermen in South Asia

The (In)Security of Fishermen in South Asia 163 8 THE (IN)SECURITY OF FISHERMEN IN SOUTH ASIA A. Subramanyam Raju This chapter examines the security of the fishermen who fish in Indo-Sri Lankan and Indo-Pakistani waters. The chapter does not focus on fishermen who fish in Indo-Bangladesh waters because clashes between them ar e very minimal. Since fishing is a sour ce of livelihood, and 90 per cent of fishermen live below the poverty line, fishermen go in sear ch of fish wherever they ar e available. In their pursuit, they can har dly respect maritime boundaries. As is the case everywher e, so it is the case with South Asian fishermen. For instance, Indian fishermen cr oss maritime boundaries and enter Pakistani, Sri Lankan, and Bangladeshi waters. Similarly, Sri Lankan fishermen are crossing their boundary and entering Indian and Maldives waters, while Pakistani fishermen enter Indian waters for fishing. The incr easing depletion of fish in the traditional catchment zones further contributes to fishermen cr ossing into their neighbour ’s waters. As a result, they are being arrested and punished by authorities on the other side. It is to be noted that in South Asia, India and Sri Lanka have demarcated their maritime boundaries, whereas India is yet to demarcate its boundaries with Pakistan and Bangladesh. 08 Fisheries Exploitation 10/28/09, 12:42 PM 163 164 A. Subramanyam Raju THE PROBLEMS OF FISHERMEN IN INDO-SRI LANKAN WATERS Before analysing the problems of fishermen in Indo-Sri Lankan waters, it is worthwhile to discuss how India and Sri Lanka demar cated their maritime boundaries. India and Sri Lanka signed bilateral agr eements on the Boundary in Historic Waters in June 1974, and on the maritime boundary in the Gulf of Mannar and the Bay of Bengal in Mar ch 1976. Kachchativu Island Kachchativu Island, located just south-west of Delft Island in Palk Strait, had been used by the British since 1920 as a naval gunnery practice range. The island is one mile long, 300 yar ds broad, and has an area of 285.2 acres. It is a barren, uninhabited place, without drinking water. It is important to note that Indian fisherman built a Catholic Church here dedicated to Saint Anthony. The fishermen and pilgrims of both countries used to visit the church in Mar ch every year for a r eligious festival. Saint Anthony is considered to be the guardian of the fishermen, who believe that the saint will protect them from turbulent seas and inclement weather . People of both countries from northern Sri Lanka and T amil Nadu used to shar e their culture and ideas, and, historically, the fishing communities of both countries have many similarities. They speak T amil and have had relations for centuries. There was a free movement of people before independence and this continued until 1974.After the 1974 and 1976 agreements and the eruption of the civil war in Sri Lanka in 1983, the situation changed entirely and r elations between the peoples of the two countries have undergone a transformation. Though the island is barr en and uninhabited, its surroundings possess prawns in abundance. For the Indian government, the island is not strategically important. However, for Indian fishermen it is a very important place for their livelihood. In his speech in the Rajya Sabha in September 1960, Jawahar Lal Nehru, the then Prime Minister of India, said: “Ther e was a claim on one of the old principal Zamindaris and it was part of the Zamindari. The Zamindari has gone now and I do not know where the matter stands.”1 In the Rajya Sabha, he r eplied to a question: “The Island is 18 miles east of Pamban. Where Pamban is I do not know.”2 One can understand that he did not have any interest in maintaining the island under Indian contr ol. 08 Fisheries Exploitation 10/28/09, 12:42 PM 164 The (In)Security of Fishermen in South Asia 165 Later, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi said that, since both countries had cordial relations, it was not wise to raise a voice over the island. 3 She felt that the island was a “sheer r ock with no strategic significance”. She did not even bother to consult the T amil Nadu government r egarding the island. In 1974, India and Sri Lanka signed an agreement,4 which ensured the...