Overfishing along Kerala coast: causes and consequences.

Abstract

In Kerala the initial approach to fisheries development based on raising the productive capacity of existing facilities by developing artisanalfishing relying on traditional methods gqve Way by the mid-sixties to the 'modernisation growth-oriented model' which saw the traditional base offishing as a hindrance and sought to introduce specialised capital-intensive techniques. Artisanalfishermen adversely affected by this responded at two levelsorganised protest against destructive fishing and the adoption of new technology to enhance their declining harvest. The result has been the ruinous overuse of a common property resource. This paper examines the combination of economic, technological and socialfactors operating in a specific context that has led to this overuse and highlights the deleterious consequences of this to the marine eco-system and concludes with suggestions for resolving the crisis.