Born in a fishermen’s family, Suresh started his fishing career in a small dugout canoe at the age of 18. Now, 30 years later, he owns a trawler boat and is a shareholder in another one but still goes out fishing in a traditional boat. Once he realised how destructive trawl fishing can be, he knew something had to change. Suresh decided to work with WWF-India and use more sustainable fishing gear. “I am happy I was able to convince my crew, because the quality of the catch improved and I noticed we have less juvenile fish as bycatch.”
You have been a fisherman for a long time now. What changes have you experienced?
I was born and raised in Puthuvyppu, a small village on India’s western coast. My father moved there a few years before I was born to become a fisherman. When I left school, I became one myself. Now my oldest son has a Ph.D. in fisheries science. The ocean has an important role in the lives of my family.
Over the years, I experienced many changes in the fishing sector, but also in the ocean itself. The coastline is moving further away: 25 to 30 metres every year, I think. We now have strong currents coming from the east bringing dirt and garbage to our beaches.
When I started, most fishermen used small boats without engines. We would leave early in the morning and come back in the evening; it would take us all day to catch enough fish. On top of that the selling price was low and we could only sell our fish at the local market, because we did not have the tools to keep our catch fresh for a longer period of time. But fish stocks back then were abundant because we were catching fish in a sustainable way.
“Destructive fishing methods do not only endanger the fish populations, they also have been reducing the income of traditional fishers.”
How did you realise fishing became more damaging to the ocean?
At a certain point, fishermen in the area started to use bigger boats and modern fishing gear. The new type of trawlers are faster than the fish. Because of the new techniques, we catch more, but not without consequences.
I became concerned about our fishing practices when I realised that there was less fish. When I started to work in the mechanised trawling sector, I saw the destruction caused by trawl fishing with my own eyes. Trawlers using the traditional “diamond-mesh” nets catch many juvenile fish on top of the bigger, adult fish. It is very important for the replenishment of fish populations that juveniles have the time to grow up and reproduce. But because the fishmeal industry doesn’t care about the size of the fish, the popularity of trawl fishing continues to grow.
Destructive fishing methods endanger fish populations. Fewer fish is not only a curse for the environment, it also affects the income of traditional fishers. We have to travel further offshore to catch enough fish. Fishing bans near oil companies also force us to go deeper waters, limiting our fishing grounds even more. This way, it becomes less and less appealing to fish in traditional boats.
“After learning about the impact of destructive trawling techniques, I realised I had to change my own way of fishing.”
What solutions do you see to these problems?
When I go out fishing with my traditional boat, we leave early in the morning. How long and where we will fish is decided by our traditional knowledge that was passed to us by previous generations of fishers. On the traditional boat we do not use any modern devices, we only rely on our knowledge of the ocean.
I use a traditional fishing boat, but I also own a trawler. After learning about the impact of the trawling techniques, I realised that I had to change my own way of fishing. When WWF and the Department of Fisheries approached me for a pilot project with a boat using a more sustainable square-mesh fishing net to reduce bycatch, I knew I had to participate.
“Nowadays, I only use square-mesh nets and I encourage other boat owners to do the same.”
At first, my crew was skeptical about using this new type of fishing gear. They thought it would reduce the catch. I am happy I was able to convince them, because the quality of the catch improved and I noticed we had less juvenile fish as bycatch. This means less sorting time and better prices. The major investment for non-traditional fishing is fuel and the square-mesh nets reduce the use of fuel, compared to boats using the diamond-mesh nets. I have better profits now.
I now only use square-mesh nets and I encourage other boat owners to do the same. Unfortunately, only a few of them have made the change so far. I am committed to making the fishing industry more sustainable, and I will continue to urge all trawlers to use the square-mesh nets. Our main goal must be to maintain the bounty of the sea for future generations.
Born in a fishermen’s family, Suresh owns a trawler boat and is a shareholder in another one but still goes out fishing in a traditional boat. Once he realised how destructive trawl fishing can be, he knew something had to change. Suresh decided to work with WWF-India and use more sustainable fishing gear.