Kodungallur fisherfolk forced to fight seaweed, plastic waste for survival

For the past 20 years, 60-year-old Selvan of Anapuzha has set out to fish at 6.30 pm, returning only at dawn after a long night on the Karupadanna River. But the hours he spends casting his drift nets are no longer yielding enough to sustain his family. Choked by invasive seaweed and plastic waste, the river that once provided him with a livelihood has become a source of mounting losses. "Long gone are the days when we could sustain ourselves and our families through fishing," Selvan told Onmanorama.

Selvan now has to wade through thick mats of African seaweed, which, he said, are either discarded by commercial farmers clearing their fields using backhoe loaders or washed into the river from nearby farms. "The seaweed sinks in the water and decomposes, reducing the oxygen levels needed for fish to thrive," he said.

Drift net fishing involves suspending vertical walls of net in the water, held up by surface floats and weighed down by leads at the bottom. The nets then drift freely with the wind and the water. "For drift nets, we use plastic or nylon lines, locally known as ‘tonguese’, with a mesh size of 65 mm. The nets need to be lowered three metres into the water," Selvan said.

"One net costs ₹30,000. When seaweed or waste gets trapped in it and damages it, repairs cost around ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 and take two to three days. Having to repair the net two or three times a year is a huge loss for us," Selvan said.

"Yet another issue is the plastic waste that has accumulated in the water, either thrown in by passersby or washed in from elsewhere. After just a day of fishing, our boats get so dirty that we have to clean them thoroughly before heading out again," he said.

Selvan is not alone in facing these challenges. Fisherfolk across Kodungallur, including those who use stake nets and Chinese fishing nets, are grappling with a crisis that threatens their livelihoods, pushes families into financial distress and drives younger generations away from the traditional occupation.

Kodungallur Taluk AITUC secretary Sajeevan P K, who practises stake net fishing, said the pollution posed a serious threat to aquatic life. "People dump plastic waste and chicken waste from slaughterhouses into the water. This reduces oxygen levels, making it difficult for fish to survive and reducing fish stocks," he told Onmanorama. "Neighbouring farms overrun by seaweed and other invasive plants dump the vegetation directly into the river," Sajeevan said.

The decline in fish stocks has severely affected the incomes of households dependent on the sector. "Previously, we used to get fish for at least 10 months a year. Now, we barely get a good catch for 100 days. If a fisherman used to earn ₹1,000 earlier, he now gets just ₹200,” Sajeevan said.

Fisherfolk have also raised concerns about illegal night fishing using torchlights, a practice they said is banned by the government. "People who come to fish illegally using torchlight either do it from boats or from the shore. They do not know which fish to catch and which to leave behind, thereby damaging the ecosystem. They are the main reason why green chromide, or karimeen, is declining and has become almost nonexistent in this area," Selvan said.

Varghese, 70, from Pantheerampala in Pullut, who operates a Chinese fishing net, said that weeds, rather than fish, often get caught in the net.

The crisis extends far beyond those who cast the nets. Fishing supports an entire chain of workers, from those who sort the catch to those who transport it to markets and sell it. With smaller catches, these workers, too, are losing their incomes.

Selvan recalled a time when drift net fishing could comfortably sustain a household. "We used to get 10 to 15 kg of fish a day. My wife and I raised our two children on my wages alone and even built a small house. But now, that is unimaginable. We barely get 5 kg, and that too only on a good day. Otherwise, the catch is just 2 to 3 kg. I will never let my children enter this profession," he said.

Sajeevan said his own experience had shaped his son's decision to pursue a different career. "My son, who now works in a bank, has not shown any interest in fishing, seeing how much I have struggled and how much this sector has declined,” he said.