View of THE VILLAGERS AND THEIR SEASONAL FISHING –A CASE STUDY OF BIRAMPUT COLONY, JUNPUT

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ACCENT JOURNAL OF ECONOMICS ECOLOGY & ENGINEERING Peer Reviewed and Refereed Journal (International Journal) ISSN-2456-1037

Vol.04,Special Issue 05, (ICIR-2019) September 2019, Available Online: www.ajeee.co.in/index.php/AJEEE

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THE VILLAGERS AND THEIR SEASONAL FISHING –A CASE STUDY OF BIRAMPUT COLONY, JUNPUT

Upal Manna

Abstract- Seasonal fishing is very much important and interesting for not only the Villagers of Biramput Colony, Junput, but also the outsiders. The Villagers earn their livelihood from the sea and to analyse seasonal fishing, social ecological research is necessary because overfishing, environmental pollution and other factors destroy traditional lifestyle of the fisherman communities and marine habitat. Now, trawling method is used for seasonal fishing and commercial fishing. This method is playing deadly roles to destroy coastal environment and man-environment relationship.

Keywords – ‘Pala’, ‘Khoti’ ‘Saudagar’, ‘Aratdar’, ‘Bhutbhuti’, ‘Jun’, ‘Patta’, ‘Trawlerisation’,

‘Sustainable’.

1. INTRODUCTION

Biramput Colony, Junput, is a village of Contain Subdivision in the district East Midnapore, West Bengal. This village is very interesting for social ecological study, because the villagers are emigrants. They have migrated from various places to earn their livelihood from the sea.

They have settled near the sea-beach and formed a colony, ‘Biramput Colony’. Now, Biramput Colony has become a coastal village and the villagers are basically the traditional fisherman communities. Actually, once upon a time, this land was the land of West Bengal Government and this was a vacant land. Now a colony and ultimately a village have been developed. These villagers have got ‘Patta’. That means the villagers are now the owners of this land. They think that sea is their mother and everything, because they have no agricultural land. Their economy is completely dependent upon the resource of the sea.

They catch different types of sea fishes round the year. Each family occupies a plot of land.

They have made their huts and planted some sort of trees, such as mango, coconut, jackfruit, banana, papaya etc. some villagers produce some vegetables in front of their own plots.

2. BOUNDARY OF THE VILLAGE

Biramput Colony is a multiethnic village and the ‘Hindu’ and ‘Muslim’ live side by side. It is also a multi caste village and except Brahmin, there are several caste people in this village.

They maintain peaceful relationship.

The villagers use narrow muddy road inside the village. The forest of casuarinas is observed outside the village. Grazing land is not fixed. Junput sea-beach is very long and broad. Soil is basically sandy, vacant dry sea-beach is used to dry up the enormous amount of sea fishes by the villagers. Different types of ‘Palas’ made by ‘Hogla’ leaves are constructed on the sea-beach during seasonal fishing. Another portion of the areas is used in making the fishing net.

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The houses of villagers are arranged in a linear way. Some houses are arranged in cluster or in isolated form. Basically, the houses are made by mud and thatched with straw.

Some houses are covered with tiles. Tube wells are the source of drinking water. Some families have small ponds of their own at their campus. They use ponds to wash clothes and take bath.

Natural vegetation is also interesting and it plays significant roles to maintain ecosystem. Natural vegetation is nothing but the trees without plantation. Different types of creepers, twigs and tendrils surround this zone. Jhau (Casuarine sp), Eucalyptus, ‘Keya’,

‘Jun’, ‘Babla’, Sand creepers like ‘Kalmilata’ and others are important.

3. SEASONAL FISHING

Fishing and seasonal fishing must be analyzed in understanding social ecology clearly.

Basically seasonal fishing consists of four months, which include ‘Kartik’, ‘Agrahayan’,

‘Paus’ and ‘Magh’. (Mid October to mid February). During this period, they enjoy fine coastal environment. They get much more sea-fishes from the sea. They are engaged in day night fishing activities. During this period, ‘Palas’ are made on the sea beach. A Pala is a type of temporary hut, made by the leaves of ‘Hogla’ by particular individual on the sea beach.

Apart from seasonal fishing, traditional fishermen practise fishing round the year.

For this, they use their country boat, locally known as ‘Bhutbhuti’. The villagers are also engaged in fishing related activities. Some persons do not go to the sea. They are engaged to dry up the fishes. They also prepare fishmeal under the supervision of ‘Saudagar’. Several

‘Palas’ constitute the ‘Khoti’ adn ‘Khoti’ has been constructed during seasonal fishing. After seasonal fishing, there will be no ‘Palas’ in the sea beach, but traditional fishermen are continuing their fishing, and quantity of catch is very small. At that time, ‘Palas’ are taken off. Actually, ‘Khoti’ is the temporary settlement for seasonal fishing and the villagers spend day and night there.

A ‘Saudagar’ is always engaged to buy sea fishes from the fisher folk and to dry up the fishes. The ‘Saudagars’ stock dry fish and they sell dry fish to the ‘Aratdar’. Many boys and girls and housewives work in the ‘Palas’ of the ‘Saudagar’ to earn money. The

‘Saudagars’ also prepare ‘Fishmeal’ and they sell fishmeal to the ‘Aratdars’. They prepare fishmeal by using small sea crabs, shrimps, rotten fishes and other abandoned sea fishes.

Fishmeal is used as the delicious food of fresh water fish, cow, hen & so on. Various poultry farms purchase fishmeal from the ‘Aratdars’. The ‘Aratdars’ may be the owners of the ‘Palas’

or may be the outsiders.

4. ECONOMIC RELATION AND ENVIRONMENT

There is an economic relation between traditional fishermen, ‘Saudagars’ and ‘Aratdars’ and it is maintained during seasonal fishing. Maximum aratdars and the saudagars are not the villagers of Biramput Colony. They are basically the outsiders. The villagers are wage earners and fishermen in this village. They work in the Khoti under the control of either saudagars or aratdars. The wage-earners are engaged to dry up the sea fishes.

After seasonal fishing, the fishermen have to go to the sea to earn livelihood, because there is no alternative way to earn money. But due to continuous exploitation of the marine resources, trawlerisation and climate change, the quantity of catch is decreasing day by day.

Now coastal environment is being polluted. Pollution of saline weather, water and air is continuously taking place. It is caused by enormous amount of rotten sea-fishes and dry fishes. The villagers & others spread fishes on the beach and these pollute the environment.

One type of dangerous sand-fly comes for the rotten fishes. These are very harmful to the villagers. ‘Diarrhoea’, ‘Dysentery’, ‘Cholera’ are frequent due to water pollution and these are caused by enormous sand fly and rotten fishes.

Both social and environmental pollution are increasing day by day. Climate change and natural disasters are responsible for various problems. There are some cases where the land, water and vegetation gets damaged, because of natural disasters including heavy rainfall and drought. Unchecked tourism in coastal areas and littering have now become serious health hazards. Due to commercial fishing, quantity of catch is decreasing day by day. Regular conflict between fishermen and ‘Saudagar’ as well as Aratdar is taking place.

The overall socioeconomic situation is under social and environmental threats. So, we need to save the flora, fauna, traditional fishermen and others. Now, we are determined to

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protect the village and social life from degradation through sustainable consumption. By implementing sustainable development policy and by taking urgent action on climate change, we will be able to support the needs of the present and future generations.

REFERENCES

1. A M. Aissa, ‘Social Ecology’, Columbia University Press : New York, 1938.

2. R. Neogy, ‘Sustainability of Marine Fishing : A case study of West Bengal’, Applied Economic Letters, Vol- 7, 707-710, 2000.

3. A. Paul, “Coastal Geomorphology and Environment”, ABC Publication, Kolkata, 2002.

4. S. K. Chakraborty, “Coastal Environment of Midnapur, West Bengal : Potential Threats and Management”, Journal of Coastal Environment, 1(1), 24-40, 2010.