Fishermen's boat campaign for water, fish & the future

A unique 500-kilometre boat campaign titled "Save Water, Save Fish, Save Fisher People" arrived at Kolkata on 2 December this year on the 7th day of its voyage that started from Fraserganj on 26 November.

- ROUSHAN CHATTERJEE

Organised by the Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum (DMF), the campaign aims to make the public aware of the struggles of small-scale fishermen and the immediate need to protect the water bodies and marine ecosystem.

On its journey, it covered the districts of South 24 Parganas, Purba Medinipur and Howrah and stopped at places including Gangasagar, Patibunia, Rajnagar, Kakdwip Fishing Harbour, Diamond Harbour, Thanabera and many more. The primary aim was to shift the focus of the government to the demands of about 50 million fish workers who are dependent on fishing or fish farming for their livelihood. "Fishing is one of the oldest professions in our country. However, fishermen have no legal rights on natural or public water bodies," said Milan Das, general secretary, Dakshinbanga Matsyajibi Forum.