Adaptive Lagoon Fishery Development through Sustainabile Livelihoods Approach: A Case Study of Chilika Lagoon, India pp. 417-434
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Authors: (Shimpei Iwasaki, Research Fellow of Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto University, Japan)
Abstract: Fishery resource in the lagoon environment is the primary form of livelihood for survival and affects lives in different ways. For centuries, fishermen used to keep a certain harmony with fishery resources in a traditional manner but they have been faced with various vulnerabilities in managing fishery resources and their related livelihoods. This chapter presents a case study of fishing communities in Chilika Lagoon (India) with emphasis on adaptive capacity to respond to changes in the lagoon environment. It explores pressing constraints and positive strengths of lagoon fishery development by applying the concept of Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA). The research is based on five livelihood assets analysis developed by DFID with due consideration of vulnerability assessment and institutional contexts. Drawing on Chilika Lagoon experience, the study revealed that vulnerabilities to fishery livelihoods are affected by climatic and environmental dimensions as well as by socio-economic and cultural values. The range of pressing constraints for fishing communities covers not just fishing but also marketing, schooling, social relations, social infrastructure and environmental and disaster prevention awareness. This exposure posed grave threats in lowering the capability of people in the choice of lagoon fishery development, leading to less income generation and its associated byproducts.
