Amateur fishermen turn to the sea to make amends meet.

It looked like it was that time of the year, amateur fishermen loudly calling out to each other, carrying huge stacks of nets to get their best catch. Little did we know, to make ends meet during the lockdown (due to the coronavirus pandemic), the nets were/would be laid 5-6 times in a row!

The men from Darya Nagar rahivashi sangh mainly work as drivers, fruit sellers, cooks etc. Multiple of them have been jobless or paid partially during the lockdown. The Darya Nagar rahivashi sangh, (south of Mahalakshmi temple) situated at the bay, has made it conducive for men from various professions to try their hand at fishing. Since 1963, men from this slum have always resorted to the sea to earn an extra penny.

Due to the lockdown, the fish caught in March and April were not taken to Sassoon Dock local fish market, as it always was. Fish are sold by the process of bidding at the Sassoon Dock market, which used to help them sell their catch at a higher rate.

Fishing on this coast was started by Kilnath Parab who hails from Kankavli town in Sindhudurg district. “After I grew older, I stopped going into the sea.” says Kilnath, who has been fishing at this bay since he was 12 years old. Today, fishing is practised by Sagar Angare(31), Prashant Pujari(32) and Vinod Khade(30), members of the Darya Nagar rahivashi sangh (a coastal slum).

“The love for fishing was so that we could run away from our parents. Now, my sister has come home after her baby shower. I do not have enough savings to support during her pregnancy, ” says Vinod, who hails from Kolhapur. Vinod had multiple odd jobs until he started working as a driver for the past four years. “Working was the only option after 10th standard. When the lockdown began, we laid the nets to make as much money as possible” says Vinod who earns Rs.15,000 monthly but is paid only a partial amount now.

Prashant also works as a driver and is a married man. The father of a three year old mentions, “ I want to take my wife and daughter to our native place (Karnataka). Here, it is not safe for them. In the past, we would keep a check on the Hindu calendar, now we lay the nets almost everyday to earn. ”

When they began fishing in 2016, the materials required to begin fishing was a 25 metres long net purchased for Rs. 60,000 and 50 bamboos for Rs. 90 each. The technique that they use is by laying a wall of netting; it is anchored to the seabed with heavy stones to catch fish that swim into it. After the water has hit the maximum level, the nets are raised up and tied to the bamboo. The stationary nets are set as a large wall acting as a barrier for the fish. Larger fish get caught. The men wait till the water decreases in order to catch the fish. After every catch, the money is equally divided among the three of them. Young boys that help in laying the nets are paid Rs. 100-150 and are given some smaller fish for their respective houses.

The fish varieties available here are Khajuri, Chavra, Vadi, crabs, Dolas(Mullet), Singhara(Catfish), Doma etc. Numerous types of crabs, mainly black crabs, disco crabs (colourful) are available. “The maximum amount that we earned was two years ago. With Rs.35,000 earned in a single catch, the sea gave us hope when both of us had lost our jobs (Prashant and Sagar)” says Prashant Pujari.

While the three of them are amateur fishermen, 64 years old Mohana Kumar from the same slum is a self taught fisherman. He worked as a cook until 2007 and has since then lived on this coast and practised fishing. He used to lay his net twice a week, now he is entirely dependent on the food provided everyday by supermarkets.

Since the past few weeks, the coastal road work has reached this coast. “Because of the vibrations and sound caused by cranes, the catch has decreased considerably. The last two times when we laid the net, the catch was only between Rs. 8,000-12,000. We have to pay the younger boys and distribute it among the three of us also” says Prashant.

“The availability of fish gave us hope during the first two months of the lockdown, now we are helpless because the coastal road project has put an end to that as well” says Sagar.