Eco-friendly Fishing

I noticed this on a trip to Ganpatipule, a small coastal town in Maharashtra, a few months back.
There was a fisherman wading waist-deep up a creek there, and casting his net about every five minutes. After hauling in his catch, he would carefully separate the fish. He would pick out and release the small young ones (so they could grow and breed to generate a new healthy population) and the inedible ones. The rest i.e. the edible ones would be put into a basket tied around his waist. He must have cast his net at least 20 times, and got a decent amount of fish at the end of the day.
This kind of fishing is currently done on a very small scale. If it could somehow be implemented on a larger scale, for example by hiring a few extra crew members on trawlers to separate the fish and release the unwanted ones, it would definitely reduce the needless destruction of other species, and solve problems like the ones turtles are facing today. Not just that, but by releasing the younger ones, fishermen too can benefit from the healthy population of fish for the next season.

Abhishek,
I agree with you. There are a few traditional fishermen who still practice this. The small ones are released.

However, the mechanised trawlers do more devastation than good. Most of the times the seabead is kind of scrapped - to use a laymans language- by the huge nets cast in the mechanised fishing process. Fish, turtle, seaweeds, sea snakes, corals whatever comes their way are removed. We don't realise the huge impact on the marine ecosystem.

Turtles die due to asphyxiation. Even small fish are sold at throwaway prices to the poultry feed industry. After a while, the fish catch reduces and the organised industry start their mass protests for Govt. doles, sneak into shallow waters to do their trawlling operations. Lot of these trawller owners are unable to repay their loans...

Man is like the proverbial bhasmasura. For people who don't know the story...Bhasmasura was granted a boon by Lord Shiva that if he places his hand on the head of anyone, the fellow will be reduced to ashes. To test the boon bhasmasura ran behind Shiva. Lord Vishnu came to his rescue and tricked bhasmasura into placing his hand on his own head. In a moment, Bhasmasura was turned into ashes.

Man is now acting like Bhasmasura, placing his hand on his own head.

Wish we can educate and help in the course correction.

Cheers,
Sabyasachi

Patra is absolutely right.

Traditional fishing practises are vanishing at an alarming pace. One more dangerous fishing practise is dynamite fishing.

Many south Indian rivers are now deprived of famous fish species like Masheer mainly due to unscruplous fishing and pollution. The black carp - once abundant in the river Cauvery is now no where. The carnatic carp is endangered. Blue finned masher once abundant in hill rivers are now confined to few areas. In Parambikulam, unscruplous dynamite fishing is rampant and the masheer survival is jeopardized.

Further, in many reservoirs exotic fish species are introduced for commercial benefits. These alien fish species thrive at the cost of native species. Many reservoirs including the famous Bhavani sagar reservoir is rearing alien fishes putting at risk the survival of endemic fish species..

Every where man has altered nature's chemistry adversely.

Lakshminarayan, you seem to be very knowledgeable about this issue. Good to know that...
Sabyasachi, thanks for the extra info. I liked your "Bhasmasura" example...perfectly matches this situation.

I'd like to add that our well-to-do anglers must also do their part. When I ask about unleaded weights and barbless hooks I get blank stares in return.

Apana

Apana,

I too agree.

I still cannot understand the logic behind capture and release of fishes - claimed to be a sport.

Observing thier powerful swim in a wild state far more interesting and graceful. It is sure that Masheers and touts undergo trauma when they are captured.

These fishes swim against current and a mere sight is graceful.

We should raise voice against this so called sport.