S Henlly Phom
Dimapur, Nov. 3 (EMN): Fishermen at Doyang in Wokha district start their work even before the sun rises, braving nature’s elements; and it is certainly a life not everyone would trade for.
The fishermen have to commit to the life they have chosen for the survival of their family, Njanthung Odyuo, a father of four children, told Eastern Mirror from his two-room house near the Doyang dam. He said that the fishermen’s day starts early morning at 4:00 am even before the sun warms the river.
Fishermen have two types of fishing nets – big and small, Odyuo explained. For the big fishing nets, they cast the nets on Monday, keep it for a week and pull it out on Saturday. There are around 13 fishermen residing around the dam and more than 500 in Doyang, Odyuo informed.
Odyuo has been in this trade for more than 20 years and his teenage son helps him with the job. He says that they are immune to the weather conditions and rain or shine, they have no option but to set out to catch fish which is their source of income.
Although their work can be considered commercial, the fishermen at Doyang have a different story to share—their daily emotional and physical toil, personal satisfaction and an income which fails to live up to the commitment needed to spend and work on the river, and so on. Sundays are their only rest days, it was informed.
Saturdays are laundry day for the fishermen, which they said is a task. It is not easy to wash the fishing nets especially those that are tangled with waste collected from the river. The magnificent Doyang reservoir has an ugly side too: According to the fishermen, when the water level rises, the river is a scene of plastic waste and they have to bear the brunt of human carelessness.
Odyuo said the fishermen sell Katla fish for INR 100 per kg to the retailers, who then sell them at INR 130-150 per kg. They sell Rohu at INR 150 per kg and the retailers sell them at INR 200-250 per kg, while for small fish, they sell at a wholesale rate of INR 300 per kg which is sold at INR 350-400 per kg by the retailers.
“There are days when we do not catch even a single fish but there are also days when we catch around 40-50 kg of fish, but that does not mean we have sufficient, because the profession is more like hand-to-mouth,” Odyuo said. He added that the income at times does not cover even the funds spent on fishing nets which last for a maximum period of three months.
The fishermen buy fishing nets from Golaghat at a price of INR 600 and for INR 750 from Doyang. When queried why they have to sell the fish at a low prices, the fisherman said they cannot argue or control the rate because at the end of the day their main concern is to recover the expenses spent on fishing nets, and a small amount of profit to feed the family.
During 2013-14, the department of Fisheries said to have set up an ice-plant but that it has not been functioning. Also, the department is said to have discontinued the distribution of fishlings since four years ago because of the use of explosives. However, they are hopeful that the department will continue to provide the fishlings as the use of explosives has been banned.
The community also acknowledged the department of Land Resources for providing boats and deep freezers to 10 fishermen in 2013.
The drop of fish
In addition to the commitment and labour that are involved for the fishermen, the decrease in the number of fish in Doyang River is another worrying factor for the fishermen. They told Eastern Mirror that compared to the years when they started out fishing, the number of fish had come down during the past five years due to use of explosives and chemicals.
However, the fishermen community was appreciative of the authorities that have worked towards banning the use of explosives and poisonous substances for fishing at the Doyang reservoir and its surrounding areas. They said using such methods decreases the prospect of the fish laying more eggs.
They acknowledged that it was partly their fault, as they take on their boats people who come for fishing with explosives and watch them use such devices. But with awareness, they said to have stopped encouraging people who use explosives. They are not silent observers anymore.
