{"id":45135,"date":"2021-06-24T09:44:00","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T09:44:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev6.blazedream.in\/ICSF\/yemaya\/asia-india-8"},"modified":"2021-08-24T06:23:50","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T06:23:50","slug":"asia-india-8","status":"publish","type":"yemaya","link":"https:\/\/www.icsf.net\/yemaya\/asia-india-8\/","title":{"rendered":"Asia\/India"},"content":{"rendered":"
Asia\/ India<\/p>\n
Getting the count right<\/strong><\/p>\n The Marine Fisheries Census 2005 provides, among other things, information on women’s work in fisheries-related activities in India<\/em><\/p>\n By Chandrika Sharma, Executive Secretary, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n The fisheries sector in India is estimated to provide employment to several million people. There can be no denying the importance of good data about the people who harvest, process and trade in fish resources, to put in place effective management systems, given that fisheries management is about managing people and their interactions with the resource base.<\/p>\n The Marine Fisheries Census 2005, commissioned by the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries, Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, and conducted by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) is a commendable effort in this direction. The census provides a wealth of information that will be useful for policymakers, researchers and others in the sector.<\/p>\n The last comprehensive census was conducted by CMFRI in 1980. It covered 2,132 marine fishing villages, with 1,442 landing centres and 333,038 households. The 2005 census covered 3,202 marine fishing villages, 1,332 landing centres and 756,212 households (a total of 3.52 mn marine fisherfolk) in all maritime States and Union Territories of India. It does not cover the Andaman and Nicobar islands and the islands of Lakshadweep.<\/p>\n Notably, the census has data on women working in fisheries-related activities in the marine fisheries sector. The lack of reliable data on women’s work in the fisheries sector has long been pointed out as a major lacuna in fisheries statistics, in India and elsewhere. It has been stressed that lack of data reinforces the invisibility of women’s work, and is a major reason for gender-blind fisheries policies that assume that it is men who dominate the sector.<\/p>\n The census was conducted with the following objectives:<\/p>\n – determine population size and structure at a micro level;<\/p>\n – assess the educational and socio-religious status of fisherfolk;<\/p>\n – determine the number of active fishermen engaged in fishing;<\/p>\n – determine gender-wise occupation in fishery-related activities;<\/p>\n – determine the number of craft and gear owned by fisherfolk;<\/p>\n – quantify the number of craft and gear in the fishery;<\/p>\n – obtain information on infrastructure facilities, such as landing centres;<\/p>\n – obtain information on other utilitarian facilities and social aspects; and<\/p>\n – provide information on the number of fishing villages, landing centres, fisherfolk population, active fishermen, occupational status, fishing craft and gear and related parameters.<\/p>\n In keeping with the above objectives, the census provides detailed information on several aspects of the fisheries sector, including population size and structure, educational level, craft and gear, ownership of craft and gear, as well as the availability of basic facilities, such as health and education. The attempt below is to look at some of this large volume of data, from a gender perspective.<\/p>\n
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