Chennai: The Marine Fisheries Census, conducted once in five years, got underway on Monday in nine maritime states, including Tamil Nadu and two Union Territories — Puducherry and Daman and Diu — simultaneously and will continue for 30 days.
It will reveal the kind of demographic shift taking place as migrants are slowly beginning to outnumber the traditional fishermen of the state.
The last census was conducted in 2010 and there were 1,92,697 marine fishermen households in the state with a total population of 8,02,912.
Of which, 96 per cent were traditional fishermen and women formed 48 per cent of the population.
However, now the pre-census data showed there are over three lakh marine fishermen households and many of them were migrants from Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha.
The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi, with funding support of Union department of animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries, will execute the ‘mammoth’ exercise.
Laxmilatha, scientist in-charge, CMFRI, Chennai, told Deccan Chronicle that information is many migrants have settled in traditional fishing villages and even been issued with Aadhar cards.
“We don’t have the proper information and this census may reveal the facts. If found true, then the government welfare schemes that are meant for traditional fishermen will be enjoyed by migrant population. We have to analyse the factors how a spike of 30-40 per cent in population has happened. Definitely, there is an evident demographic shift”, she said and added there are a total of 591 fishing villages in the state and 700 enumerators are deployed and schedules have been issued.
T.V. Sathianandan, head, Fisheries Resources Assessment Division, CMFRI, Kochi, said a two-week pre-census survey has already been conducted in October last year for validation of list of marine fishermen villages and marine fish landing centres and also to collect information on the number of households in each marine fishing village.
The primary objectives of the census is to determine fishermen population, size and structure at micro level; assess educational, socio-religious status of fisherfolk; obtain occupational status of fishermen; determine active fishermen engaged in fishing and allied activities; determine the number of craft and gear owned by fisherfolk; quantify the number of craft and gear and obtain information on existence of infrastructure facilities, Sathianandan said and added that census of island territories of Andaman & Nicobar and Lakshadweep had been entrusted
with Fishery Survey of India.
The information generated through census will go to the national database and will be very much useful to planners, researchers and managers in marine fisheries sector.
The census will be conducted in Tamil Nadu in 13 coastal districts. The official said census would not focus on depleting fisher stocks, but will tell a story on fishermen socio-economic status and migration.
