FLOOD AND FISHERY RESOURCES OF ASSAM

Dr. Ranjita Bania

(Assam Tribune_21May-2013)

Assam is endowed with rich inland water resources in the form of ponds, beels, streams, lakes, reservoirs, natural wetlands and gurgling rivers. No doubt, river provides food and habitat for a diversity of life, ranging from a tiny freshwater fishes to the giant human beings. Especially in Assam, river becomes the lifeline for the communities residing on the bank particularly for the fisher. At the same time it brings gloom for human life too. Flood damages not only the property but also the agricultural crops of the victims. It was observed that the impact of flood in 2012 was virtually more on paddy because paddy seeds were just sown at the time of flood and paddy seedlings were lost in more than 44,000 ha area due to flood which would have cover an area of around 4.5 lakh ha of crop land in the entire state.

Historically, riverine flooding was considered to be a nuisance. Flooding was thought to negatively impact flora and fauna, and be potentially hazardous to humans. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated that flood is a specific characteristic of a riverine ecosystem Further, a regular annual flood is of particular advantage to aquatic systems along large floodplain rivers. Aquatic fauna, in general, are adapted to this annual flood pulse, and many of them colonize the floodplains at rising and high water levels because of breeding and feeding opportunities that arise. In floodplain rivers, the recession of the annual flood delivers high levels of dissolved organic carbon and detritus to the main channel.

In a state like Assam, 4-5 times typical monsoon flood is common phenomena as the state falls under the heavy and prolonged rainfall zone, which leads to very high flood in the flood plains of Brahmaputra. This in tern creates huge fisheries resources for consumption and sports. This flood water ensures availability of nutrient rich food supply to the organisms including fish. The amount of available feed also increases with flood. Most of the fishes breed in the early monsoon i.e. April to June.  After the receding flood though feed resources are available, it decreases comparatively opening the golden chance for the anglers. No doubt, flood act as catalyst for sport fishing accelerating the growth of fish.

Variation in water level influences riverine systems. Rising water levels not only increase the wetted surface of the channel and eventually of the floodplain, but at the same time influence the exchange between groundwater and surface water either by allowing an up-welling of groundwater or by forcing a down-welling of the surface water into the aquifer vertically and laterally. Dynamics of water flow and nutrient status of floodplain habitats is very important for the early life history stages of riverine fishes.  According to Low Flow Recruitment Hypothesis unpredictable flooding and decoupling of the flood pulse from the temperature pulse leads to low temperatures during floods and high temperature that triggers spawning of some fish species during low water level. However, large rivers derive most of their animal biomass from the floodplains. Without the flood pulse, production within the river ecosystem is drastically reduced, and community composition and energy pathways are radically changed. Similarly, disturbances also play a critical role in organizing communities and ecosystems.

Eventhen, flood in Assam has never been taken as a positive indication for large breeding ground of fish in numbers and size. With the onset of flood and monsoon the naturally available feed resources increases many fold, leading to fast growth and size. In Assam every year flood brings miseries to the people but it also brings a many fold blessing for fishery resources. Assam has the largest potential for recreational sports fishing for its large water bodies including wastelands, beels, ponds and of course the mighty Brahmaputra and its tributaries.

            During the monsoon months the flood water inundates the open beels and there is virtually no demarcation between river and the connected beels. The aquatic fauna of the beels get the chance of feeding as well as breeding that arises along with the flood pulse. The flood water also carries a large number of adult brooders to the connecting beels. In fact these beels are the spawning grounds for many of the riverine species which form the bulk of the capture fishery. As the flood recedes, these fishes return to the main river. Major carps and giant catfish (Sperota, Bagarius, Pangasius, Silondia etc.) migrate to the upstream during monsoon/rainy season as do many other species presumably for spawning purpose. This annual inundation has both positive as well as negative impacts.  Though it helps in auto stocking of ichthyofauna at the same time it carries silt to them which now a days become a severe problem in many of the beels of Assam as in Dibru Saikhowa destructing the suitable productive habitats to a comparatively less productive ones. Mobile organisms such as fish actively seek floodplain carbon in mass migrations as soon as flooding begins in order to feed in the floodplain.

            However, the abundance of large sized fish species in a river stretch depend on adequate cover such as pools and deeply undercut banks, which these fish can use to avoid the predators. Increased frequency of flood substantiates the fact that water holding capacity of river is considerably reduced. Due to this large fish migrate upstream during flood but take reverse direction as flood recedes. Thus flood act as boon for both anglers as well as for the sport fishery. The intensity of fishing is also closely associated with the flood regime of the river. The riverine fishes march into new areas, creeks, channels, flood plain lakes and other water bodies at the time of high flood. However, as the flood subsides, the fish return to the main river. This is why there is high intensity of fishing just before and after the flood.  In spite of these vast potentialities the pressure on the wild riverine fish stock is very high but the production from the same is not fitting to the total catch statistics of Assam. Fish production data of 2011-12 shows lowest productivity of riverine fishery i.e. 190 kg/ha among the various water resources of Assam. No doubt, wild collection data is not recorded properly, though it occupies a lion share of catch. That is why it is not reflected in national economy. A proper estimate of riverine production in terms of fish catch statistics for the main rivers viz. Brahmaputa and Barak and its major tributaries is an immediate necessity which may contribute to establish the authentic riverine production scenario of Assam.

  

INAUGURAL CEROMONY OF POLYHOUSE AT FISHERIES RESEARCH CENTRE, ASSAM AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITY

The polyhouse was inaugaurated on 16th April, 2013 by honourable Director General of Indian Council of Agriculture Research (ICAR),  Dr. S. Ayyapan in presence of Dr. K. M. Bujarbaruah, Honourable Vice Chancellor of Assam Agricultural University (AAU), Deputy Director General (Fishery), Dr. Meena Kumari and many other eminent personalities of ICAR as well as Agriculture universities of North East India.

The Polyhouse, constructed by Saveer Biotech is under the research project “Advanced breeding of Carps through enhancement of temperature by using UV stabilized LDPE film”  of Dr. Bibha Chetia Borah, Senior Scientist and In-Charge, Fisheries Research Centre, AAU, Jorhat, Assam.

Dibru-Saikhowa National Park: Present status and future needs!

Dr. Ranjita Bania

            The Dibru-Saikhowa National Park of Upper Brahmaputra Basin has been traditionally regarded as fish granary till a decade ago. But these resources are threatened by both natural as well as anthropogenic factors. Increasing dependence of the local community to the bioresources demands sustainable utilization and protection of the aquatic resources to mitigate the anthropogenic activities.

Long term exploitation and suitable protection strategies to the aquatic resources call for the knowledge of fish germplasm along with their diversity and present status. Investigation of both the lentic and lotic systems help the decision makers to adopt proper management policy providing them database of the biota. At the same time, conservation and sustainable management of aquatic resources involves an integrated management approach in terms of biotic and anthropogenic relationships. It involves scientific, management, economic as well as social aspects which could jointly provide a fairly good picture of the way to the decision makers, managers, stakeholders and civil society to address resource management for their benefit as well as  for future generation. The work would serve as a database for providing local stakeholders alternative livelihood options which involve them in conservation of resources and aquaculture development programme along with economic security. However, this would minimize the pressure on the wild stock switching it over to culture fishery and formulate the way for insitu conservation of the bioresources. Awareness campaigns would be able to divert the mind of resource dependent people towards conservation by making them recognize the value of the resources surrounding them.

Resource management in a sustainable manner could be possible if awareness campaign, provision for basic civil amenities and options for alternative livelihood run in a parallel way. In view of the available resources vocational training, ecotourism, animal husbandry, poultry farming, captive breeding of aquarium fish, short term fish culture, bee keeping, horticulture, production of organic manure, propagation of ornamental plants and insects and promotion of handicraft business are suggested for conservation and sustainable use of ichthyofauna as well as the biodiversity.

Gender equality: Miles to go!

Dr. Ranjita Bania

Dr. Bibha Chetia Borah

Although much has been talked about the gender equality, the present day world is still characterized by deeply uneven sharing of the burden of adversities between women and men. Gender discrimination still exists in many parts of the world. In terms of employment as well as promotion in work and occupation, women often face greater handicap than men. Even in countries like Japan may be quite egalitarian in matters of demography or basic facilities, and even, to a great extent, in higher education, and yet progress to elevated levels of employment and occupation seems to be much more problematic for women than for men.

 The industrial revolution made women an integral part of the new economic order and an important part of its manpower resource. Participation of women in agricultural and allied activities too is an issue of global concern. In developing countries like India where a lion share of the economy depends on agricultural activities, the participation of women is an important issue.  Rural women are the major workforce in agricultural activities in India. However, their contribution to the mainstream agriculture does not get the desired recognition.  Women are often referred to as the ‘invisible hand’ in these activities. Although, in recent years there is substantial upliftment in the socio-economic condition of women folk, the gender imbalance is still noteworthy not only in corporate or government sector but also in agriculture and allied activities like fishery, livestock farming etc.

Near home, tea industry is the most flourishing industry in Assam where more than fifty percent of the workforce is constituted of the women labour which contributes substantially to the national coffer through earning of foreign currency. Still their contribution in the growth of the industry is never recognized. Imbalance in payment structure is also quite visible in almost all the sectors few days back and still existing in many unorganized sectors like small tea industry.

It may be women labour or women in white colour employment; discrimination is always there as reported. Preference is always given to the male counterpart even in education sector.  Though in the 21^st century, science made remarkable progress in development and creating job opportunities still the entry is not easy for the women. The statistics of higher position holder is also very negligible in both govt. and corporate sector.

Long back Gandhi ji said ‘women are the companion of man gifted with equal mental capacities. She has the right to participate in the minutes detail of the activities of the man and she has the same right of freedom and liberty as he. She is entitles to a supreme place in her own of activity as man is in his’. Despite women's proven ability, management denied them equal status in the workplace. Many of the times their selection is also biased. They are always last to be hired and first to be fired. However, they often encountered hostility or paternalistic arrogance from male coworkers and managers.

In a recent study to assess the women’s participation in fishery sector in two North Eastern states viz. Assam and Meghalaya with two different types of societal pattern, revealed remarkable gender imbalance. In government sector of these two states, there is imbalance in staffing pattern too. In Assam fishery sector, with female staff occupies only 2.06% of the technical staff, 0.93% of the field staff and 5.24% of the total strength against 97.94% male technical staff, 99.07% field support and 94.76% of the total. At the same time the statistics of participation of women in Meghalaya fishery sector is much better with 25.81% technical staff and 5.88%f field staff.  The study exposed the fact that women’s participation in fishery activities particularly related to capture fishery differ with the pattern of society. In matriarchal society, women take major role in marketing and small scale fish capture. However, in majority cases of the patriarchal society, men take the lead in capture and marketing of fish. Women participation in scientific culture practices in both the cases is found to be quite negligible. While scientific fish farming is recognized to be a women friendly livelihood option, women participation in this sector is quite unsatisfactory.

 Need not to mention that the states economy is agrarian based economy and women plays vital contribution in agricultural system.  Data says, 87 percent of the states women are involved in paddy cultivation from sawing to harvesting. Not only that they are actually preserving the techniques of cultivation through quality seed selection and preserving it for the next year. But it’s very sad to know that their contribution is totally ignored when the time comes for decision making. A survey made in 2011 by ICAR (where the first author was also involved) in the districts of upper Assam indicated the same results.

Moreover, unequal distribution of parental property including the basic assets like home and land make the women very insecure, though there is also some local variations. The absence of claims to property can not only reduce the voice of women, but also make it harder for women to enter and flourish in commercial, economic and even some social activities and also to cope up with the rapidly changing situations.

Apart from all these, the sharing of the burden of housework and child care is always quite unequal. Still, the working hands of women in a family are always invisible as they are not paid for that and their responsibility is taken for granted. It is important to identify the array of forms that gender inequality can take. It may vary from mortality inequity to household inequity which can impose diverse adversities on the lives of men and boys, in addition to those of women and girls. While understanding the different aspects of the evil of gender inequality, we have to look beyond the dilemma of women and examine the problems created for men as well by the asymmetric treatment of women. It is therefore essential to address this serious imbalance in terms of gender. If we wish for a developed society from all aspects, we should not ignore the issues like sex discrimination. Steps should be taken to buffer the society. Mass awareness towards a developed society can be made through a concerted effort of all sectors including mass media viz. news paper, TVchannels or radio. All india Radio, Dibrugarh under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Lohit Deka organized a seminar on sex equity in 2012 at Assam Agricultural University on the occasion of Women’s day. Accelerating the momentum they have organized an eight hours programme at the end of the last year covering almost all the sensitive issues of women.  They are doing their own, but if we don’t want to help ourselves, no one can help us. Mainstreaming of gender in all areas, from family to corporate world will definitely contribute substantially to bring about the desired transformation of the socio-economic scenario of the region. A new agenda of action to combat and put an end to gender inequality is the call of the hour.