DETERMINANTS OF FISHING VIABILITY IN SMALL-SCALE FISHERIES

Fishery is a major industry across the world yet poverty has been one of serious issues pressing the small-scale fishing community in developing countries. Through this research paper an attempt has been made to focus on those determining factors, both positive and negative influences, on the viability of the fishing occupation more specifically the small-scale fisheries. Viability of the fishing occupation is identified in three sub-dimensions namely financial, economic and social. It is observed that the small-scale fishing is more viable in the economic front than financial and social aspects. Accumulation of assets and social accomplishments were hardly met by the fishermen from their earnings. However, from the fishing income, they were able to survive more than meeting any other personal, household or social needs. More than half of the small-scale fishermen are found to have their fishing occupation moderately viable while one in every four fishermen was found to be rewarded with high yield and had found fishing a highly viable occupation. Viability of the fishing occupation was observed to have impacted by various stressors like artificial, financial, political, coastal and natural. From the opinion of the small-scale marine fishermen, artificial stressors (manmade) namely 1.construction of commercial ports, 2.sand mining, 3.emissions from factories, 4.degradation of trees, 5.dumping of garbage, 6.using of banned fishing gear and 7.catching of juvenile fishes are said to have influencing the fishery more and preventing fishermen from better yields. The key finding is that the fishermen were able to cope with those livelihood stressors by enhanced management skills and technological adoption. Their adaptive skills were found to be more contributing to the occupational viability despite the negative influences of the livelihood stressors.