Traditional Inland Fishing Practices in Bhadrak district of Odisha, India

Taranisen Panda¹ , Nirlipta Mishra² , Shaik Rahimuddin³ , Bikram K. Pradhan⁴ , Raj Ballav Mohanty⁵

1. Dept. of Botany, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak, Odisha, India.
2. Dept. of Zoology, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak, Odisha, India.
3. Dept. of Zoology, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak, Odisha, India.
4. Dept. of Botany, Chandbali College, Chandbali, Bhadrak, Odisha, India.
5. Ex-Reader in Botany, Plot No. 1311/7628, Satya Bihar, Rasulgarh, Bhubaneswar 751 010, Odisha, India.

Section:Research Paper, Product Type: Journal-Paper
Vol.10 , Issue.1 , pp.25-33, Feb-2023

Online published on Feb 28, 2023

Copyright © Taranisen Panda, Nirlipta Mishra, Shaik Rahimuddin, Bikram K. Pradhan, Raj Ballav Mohanty . This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
 

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Abstract :
This paper focuses on traditional fishing methods practiced by the fisherfolk communities of Bhadrak district, Odisha, India. Fifty-nine informants were selected for the study to enlist the varieties of fishing techniques that the people use to capture fish. Using a semi-structured questionnaire, data were collected through personal interviews and direct observation. A total of 15 handmade fishing devices made up of locally available resources are used to catch fish in freshwater bodies. The fisherfolk develop some unique fish-catching devices like Pohala and Bankia which ensure eco-friendly utilization of freshwater fishery resources without affecting the fish diversity in aquatic habitats. However, destructive fishing practices with fine mesh nets (e.g., masari jal) have also been noticed. Prominent fish species and prawns captured by using fishing devices include Amblypharyngodon mola (Hamilton, 1822), Anabas testudineus (Bloch, 1792), Channa striata (Bloch, 1793), Glossogobius giuris (Hamilton, 1822), Macrobrachium rosenbergii (De Man, 1879), Mystus gulio (Hamilton, 1822), Pethia conchonius (Hamilton, 1822), Wallago attu (Bloch & Schneider,1801) and Xenentodon cancila (Hamilton, 1822). The present investigation provides traditional knowledge-based fishing devices that may help proper management of fish resources in inland water bodies. Our findings affirm that fishers of the region still adopt the conventional method of fishing which affords substantial contributions to their livelihood. The challenge of using fine mesh nets can be overcome by creating awareness among the fishers.

Key-Words / Index Term :
Indigenous fishing methods, craft, fishermen, fish capture, gear, livelihood

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