KERALA'S MARINE FISHERY: EVOLVING TOWARDS UNSUSTAINABILITY -A PERSONAL STATEMENT SPANNING THREE DECADES

摘要

This paper is written in the style of a personal statement sketching my involvement in the fisheries sector of Kerala State, India over a span of three decades. Initially this involvement was as a professional helping small-scale fishers to organize village level marketing cooperatives. Later the involvement changed to one of a researcher and policy adviser dealing contemporaneously at the local, national and the international realms. By adopting a schematized diachronic narrative, an attempt is madeto provide a glimpse into the manner in which the fishery became unsustainable. It also tries to sketch the inter-related hurdles which come in the way of moving (back/forward?) to sustainability.