A study on the comparison of income between fishing activity and alternative livelihoods of Rushikulya fishers of Odisha

Abstract

Livelihood assessment of fishers of three villages viz. Purunabandha, Kantiagada and Gokhurkuda around Rushikulya Sea Turtle (Olive Ridley) rookery in Ganjam district, Odisha have been undertaken. Due to conservation efforts towards these turtles, fishing ban is imposed for a period of seven months (November-May), which adversely affects the livelihood of fishers with respect to their primary occupation. Hence, this study was conducted to compare between the income from fishing and alternative livelihood activities and also suggest strategies to improve their social and economic wellbeing. The results showed that the average income from alternative livelihood activities is significantly lower than the fishing activities (P<0.05). The primary income of Gokhurkuda village showed significantly higher than other villages (P<0.05). Meanwhile, no significant difference was found in alternative income among the villages (P>0.05). However, the primary and alternative income within the villages showed significant difference between them (P<0.05). The findings suggested that new policies need to be framed to improve the economic and livelihood conditions of the fishers as an alternative option during the banned periods. It is also needed to implement community-based management programmes to give indirect subsistence options to the fishers of these villages.