Local Culture,Technological Change and Riverine Fisheries Management in Kerala,South India

Abstract

This article primarily examines the role of cultural components in riverine fisheries management. Components of culture, in this article, are defined as those values, norms, beliefs, sanctions, knowledge systems and technology that influence fishing practices of riverine fisherfolk. It also examines the modifications that take place to these cultural components and their implications on fisheries management. The findings signify that cultural components aid in judicious use of resources. However, the primary purpose of these components could be in ensuring fairness in distribution or in regulating conflicts among different stakeholders. The findings also reflect on the dynamics of culture. Cultural components evolve, modify or disappear due to the influence of contextual factors such as technological change. This article is based on an ethnographic fieldwork among two riverine fishing communities along the Pamba–Achankovil river basin in Kerala, India. Interview guides and focused group discussion are the primary tools of data collection.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Baland, J.M. and J.P. Platteau . 1996. Halting Degradation of Natural Resources: Is There a Role for Rural Communities? Oxford: Clarendon Press .

Berkes, F. (ed.). 1989. Common Property Resources: Ecology and Community Based Sustainable Development. London and New York: Belhaven Press .

Cleaver, F. 1998. ‘ Moral Ecological Rationality, Institutions and the Management of Communal Resources ’, Paper Presented at Crossing Boundaries, the Seventh Annual Conference of the International Association for the Study of Common Property, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, 10–14 June.

Cleaver, F. 2001. ‘ Institutional Bricolage, Conflict and Cooperation in Usangue, Tanzania ’, IDS Bulletin, 32 (4): 26–35 .

Creswell, J.W. 1998. Qualitative Inquiry and Research Design: Choosing among Five Traditions. New Delhi: Sage Publications .

Food and Agricultural Organisation. 2000. The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2000. Rome: Food and Agricultural Organisation .

Giddens, A. 1984. The Constitution of Society: Outline of the Theory of Structuration. Cambridge: Polity Press .

Government of Kerala. 2000. Inland Fisheries of Kerala at a glance—1998. Thiruvananthapuram: The Planning and Statistical Cell, Directorate of Fisheries, Government of Kerala .

Hardin, G. 1968. ‘ The Tragedy of the Commons ’, Science, 162 (3859): 1243–48 .

10.

Husain, Z. and R. Bhattacharya . 2004. ‘ Common Pool Resources and Contextual Factors: Evolution of a Fishermen's Cooperative in Calcutta ’, Ecological Economic, 50 (3–4): 201–17 .

11.

Jentoft, S. , B.J. McCay and D.C. Wilson . 1998. ‘ Social Theory and Fisheries Co-management ’, Marine Policy, 22 (4–5): 423–36 .

12.

Jentoft. S. 2004. Institutions in Fisheries: What they are, What they do, and How they Change . Marine Policy 28 (2): 137–49 .

13.

Long, N. 2001. Development Sociology: Actor Perspectives. London: Routledge .

14.

McGoodwin, R.J. 1994. Crisis in the World's Fisheries: People, Problems and Policies. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press .

15.

Mehta, L. , M. Leach and I. Scoones . 2001. ‘ Environmental Governance in an Uncertain World ’, IDS Bulletin, 32 (4): 1–9 .

16.

Ostrom, E. 1990. Governing the Commons: The Evolution of Institution for Collective Action. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press .

17.

Patton, M.Q. 1984. Qualitative Evaluation Methods. London: Sage Publications .

18.

Steins, A.N. 2001. ‘ New Directions in Natural Resource Management: The Offer of Actor-Network Theory ’, IDS Bulletin, 32 (4): 18–25 .

19.

Steins, N.A. , N.G. Roling and V.M. Edwards . 2000. ‘ Re-“Designing” the Principles: An Interactive Perspective to CPR Theory ’, Paper Presented at the 8th Conference of The International Association for the Study of Common Property, Bloomington, Indiana, USA, 1–4 June.

20.

Wade, R. 1988. Village Republics: Economic Conditions for Collective Action in South India. Oakland: ICS Press .