Floodplain wetlands constitute a group of lentic water bodies associated with the floodplains of Indian rivers, known by different local names such as beels, chaurs, mans, boars, hoars and pats. They are usually cut-off river meanders (oxbow lakes), tectonic depressions, back swamps or sloughs, covering a total surface area of more than 200,000 ha spread over the eastern and northeastern regions of the country. Floodplain wetlands in India support subsistence and commercial capture fisheries, practiced by the local fisher communities.
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Multiple uses of wetlands
and resulting conflicts
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Continuous water renewal from rivers helps maintain capture fisheries in the open lakes on a sustainable basis. Encouraging fishery based on the wild stock of fish is essential for two main reasons:
In India, there is growing discontent among the fish consumers over the dominance of major carps in the fish market. With the steady flow of catla and rohu from large-scale aquaculture farms in the State of Andhra Pradesh, consumers have become species conscious.
Consumers seem to be bored with the once coveted Indian major carps. Today,
in all the major inland fish consuming states like West Bengal and Assam, local
fish species (Anabas testudineus, Clarias batrachus, Heteropneustes fossilis,
Gudusia chapra, Aspidoparia morar, Amblypharyngodon mola, Ompok pabo, Labeo bata,
Puntius spp. and Channa spp., to name a few) have become more
expensive. It is a common complaint in these states that the local species of
fish are too expensive, so it is essential to keep the supply line of these
species intact by retaining the capture fishery. In this context and considering
the need to address the loss of biodiversity, capture fishery of the open
floodplain wetlands assumes importance.
Capture fishery is equally important in protecting the interests of traditional fishers who depend on fishing for livelihood. There is a growing tendency to convert the open waters into intensive aquaculture systems in coastal, mangrove and other wetland ecosystems. This is leading to many social conflicts. The traditional local fishers (often landless) are generally deprived of their right of access to common property resources. If alternative employment is not provided, their livelihood will be adversely affected and an already impoverished section will become poorer.
In order to increase production from the lakes, some culture practices can be easily incorporated without disturbing the existing practice of capture fisheries. A system of combining capture fishery and aquaculture has been developed by the CIFRI, which is practiced widely in the eastern and northeastern states of India.
Under this system, a series of small enclosures are created along the periphery of the lake to be leased out to entrepreneurs for aquaculture. These enclosures can be made of earthen dikes (sometimes strengthened with water hyacinth removed from the lake) or bamboo mat barricades. Some of the enclosures can act as nurseries to rear fish seed both for aquaculture and stocking. When culture-based fishery is practiced, the connecting channel should be protected with wire mesh to prevent the stocked fish from escaping.
Floodplain wetlands and areas along their margins already tend to become swamps: converting these marginal areas into paddy fields is a common practice among relatively resource-rich farmers. The lake area consequently shrinks. Fishers get marginalized in the process. This is a very common cause of conflict among the various water users. As some of the lakes serve as bird sanctuaries, environmentalists are often cautious about competing uses. The floodplain wetlands are used for a variety of other purposes such as navigation, jute retting, collection of edible aquatic mollusks and plants. Each activity affects other water users.
A plan has been developed to integrate the many uses of floodplain wetlands
and minimize conflicts. The current example refers to a plan drawn for a
floodplain wetland in West Bengal, India, which has a swampy southern portion
and a relatively deep northern portion, where the river connection exists.
The integration plan envisages developing agriculture and aquaculture in the southern portion, while leaving the northern part for capture and culture-based fisheries. There will be a dike separating the two segments of the lake and water flow to the agriculture and aquaculture activities in the southern segment will be regulated through small canals. A central marshy portion of the southern segment will be left to attract the migratory and local birds, which frequent the place. However, the long-term effects of this type of development on the hydrodynamics and natural biological productivity of the lake are not adequately assessed.
Prepared by:
V. V. Sugunan
Although
fishing is the main economic activity in the floodplain wetlands, a wide
range of other activities like irrigation, agriculture, duck rearing,
post harvest activities, navigation and washing, are closely linked to
these water bodies, making them a lifeline of rural West Bengal and
Assam. Traditionally, these different activities have been carried out
in harmony but in recent times, conflicts between agriculture and
fisheries have become evident. Agriculturists would like to reclaim and
convert as much lake area as possible into agricultural fields. A
similar, though smaller, conflict exists within the fisheries segment --
among the intensive aquaculture, capture and culture-based fisheries.
Attempts were made by the Central Inland Capture Fisheries Research
Institute (CIFRI) to harmonize the various developmental activities by
advocating an integrated approach.