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Other News
29 Nov 2009
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NEWSCommonwealth Fisheries Programme Complete Final Study TourFrom 22 September to 8th October 2009, a Commonwealth Fisheries Programme team led by Marta Lang and assisted by Homera Cheema visited India, Bangladesh & Pakistan. The study looked at best practice in sustainable fisheries management at the coastal community level. The team conducted interviews with fishers, met officials and witnessed the many ways in which non-government community level organisations are working with fisherfolk. Marta and Homera were joined by Arjilli Dasu (Fisher Folk Foundation), Bharat Patel (Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti), Hafeez Ullah (WWF-Indus for All), Asgher Ali Shah ( IUCN), Sayed Nobin (NGO NSS) and Abdul Mannan (World Fish Centre) in Bangladesh 28 September to 3 October. All team members were community level co-ordinators who work in a leadership role on issues of fisher folk livelihoods and coastal fisheries sustainability. A visit to Visakhapatnam (Andra Pradesh), on the South-East coast of India was facilitated by the Fishfolk Foundation. Two consultations were held (one with local co-ordinators and one with fisherfolk), and the team visited a solar fish-drying plant and coastal communities. In Kutch (Gujurat) the CFP was hosted by Machimar Adhikar Sangarsh Samiti (MASS) a union who fight for the visibility of local fishers, and who have set up cooperative marketing schemes. Both organisations are dealing with problems of encroaching industry and the devastating effects caused by chemical outfalls and mangrove destruction. In Bangladesh, the team came together to discuss key issues of relevance for coastal communities in South Asia. The team visited Dhaka, Barisal (Barguna district) and the coastal town of Kuakuta. Major socio-economic issues explored included fishermen mobility, microcredit schemes, disaster preparedness, and the operation of middlemen. In Dhaka the team prepared and delivered a presentation to academics at the University of Dhaka synthesising the team's collective experience as applied to the Southern Bangladesh situation. The Pakistan visit saw Marta and Homera make trips to several coastal sites to interview community members. These were supported by WWF who are implementing mangrove restoration, women's cooperative structures, and small-scale solar and wind technologies to enable power in homes in Keti Bunder. Other visits were supported by IUCN (to Korangi Creek mangrove plantations) and by Pakistan Fisherfolk Forum (to Ibrahim Hyderi communities). The tour ended with a visit to the Karachi Fish Harbour Authority. Social issues across the board included lack of access to freshwater, salination of underground water due to overextraction and its percolation up to the land, human waste management, displacement of people due to rising sea levels, indebtedness, and multi-layered middlemen exploitation in the context of informal local economies. Ecological issues include the fishing out of large fish in coastal zones, and large-scale industry polluting the sea with hot or saline water outfalls and toxic waste. |
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Interview with Azard Mohammed, Director of Blue Bamboo Cunupa Fishing AssociationAzard Mohammed , Director of Blue Bamboo Cunupa Fishing Association, shares his views on participating in the CFP... read more
Interview with Bharat Patel, Director of Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti (MASS)We spoke to Bharat Patel, Director of Machimar Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti (MASS) - a trade union for fish... read more |
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| Programme information contact: Homera Cheema | homera.cheema@sas.ac.uk |
