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Fishing no more

With youngsters drifting away from the family business and going for more lucrative options, the Koli community is fast dwindling

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Bandra, Khar Danda and Versova, which were originally fishing villages, have undergone a sea-change in the last few decades thanks to urban development. This has led to the gaothans and the villages being reduced to a fraction of what they were. Yet the fishing community valiantly works towards holding on to their family fishing business with pride, though it is mostly the elders in the community who are pursuing it.

Fishing no more?
It is perhaps the poor availability of fish that made the likes of Robin Pujari, a 23-year-old and a resident of Chimbai Village in Bandra, break away from the family business of fishing and take up a job in an oil rig. “In rigs, I make more money than I could have done in the fishing business. But I enjoy fishing. Whenever I come for a break, I definitely go fishing,” he says.

Robin Pujari’s generation did not start this trend, which in fact started a generation ago, with most of the youngsters of the fishing community either working in oilfields or in call centres. A few of them are in the catering business as well. Rowland Falcon, another resident of Chimbai Village, also works in oilfields. He comes home every alternate month and that is when he focuses fully on his family’s fishing business.

Robin goes for fishing only during his vacations. “These days, it is really difficult to get a good catch, which is mostly lobsters and sometimes pomfret. Most fishermen have to go deep into the water for a big catch,” says Robin. “There are certain periods when the fish migrate from one place to another. If we are lucky to catch them during that time, then it is a big catch. Otherwise it is rare,” says Robin.

Where are all the fish?
“Many industrial establishments throw toxic, contaminated water into the sea, which, over the years, has adversely affected the fish and they are now dying in huge numbers. The fishing business has suffered a huge setback because of that,” says Rowland Falcon, 44. He further informs that the by-catch, which means the other small or the less valuable fish which come in the net, along with the big catch, are simply wasted. “The trawlers go in the water with a limited amount of ice, so they do not waste space by carrying fish that do not yield high returns,” says Rowland. “Previously those smaller fishes were carried back to the shore, dried and then sold, but these days if those fishes come in the net, they are simply thrown away. This has also hugely contributed to the scarcity of fish over the years. Moreover, the price of diesel has gone up manifold in the last couple of years. So, if I spend Rs100 for diesel in a trawler and get fish worth only Rs500, it really does not make much sense,” he shares.

Elders speak
Thelma Pujari, a fisherwoman by profession from the Chimbai Village, does not mind if her next generation does not take up fishing as a profession. “We understand that getting a big catch is getting more and more rare, so it is difficult to sustain a living only by fishing. So, we encourage youngsters to take up other jobs,” says Pujari. “They can go fishing whenever they are free,” adds Pujari.

Rowland agrees with Pujari. “When I am not on the rig, I actively pursue fishing. If we get a good catch, we sell it and on days we get a smaller catch, we keep it for ourselves,” he says. “If nothing else, at least we can have fresh fish for meal instead of the frozen ones available in the market,” he adds optimistically.

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