Fish sale ban at Sassoon Docks causes livelihood crisis for Kolis

This is the first time the sale of fish at Sassoon Docks has been completely prohibited. Thousands of families survive on the daily fish trade here. If selling fish during the monsoon is illegal, will the government also stop fish exports and ban sales in five-star hotels or restaurants

MUMBAI: A directive from the state prohibiting the sale of fish at Sassoon Docks, one of Mumbai’s oldest and most active fish landing sites, has stirred the waters for the fishing community, especially Kolis at Colaba and Cuffe Parade. The ban on fish sales, recently imposed by the Maharashtra state fisheries department, is a first at the dock and, according to the Koli community, oversteps the annual ban on fishing during the monsoon from June 1 to July 31.

Mumbai, India - May 18, 2016: Fishermen sales fishes in Sassoon docks in Mumbai, India, on Wednesday, May 18, 2016. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

While the community acknowledges the need to prohibit fishing during the monsoon months, as it protects marine biodiversity during the breeding season, they question the restriction on the sale of stored or inland-sourced fish at the dock. The move has deeply impacted the livelihoods of more than 500 Koli women and hundreds of traditional fishers, they point out.

Krishna Pawle, president of the Shiv Bharatiya Port Sena, an umbrella body of 14 fisher associations, remarked, “This is the first time the sale of fish at Sassoon Docks has been completely prohibited. Thousands of families survive on the daily fish trade here. If selling fish during the monsoon is illegal, will the government also stop fish exports and ban sales in five-star hotels or restaurants?”

Vimal Dhanu, a third-generation Koli fisherwoman, said, “Our children aren’t allowed to fish in the rain and we understand that. But how come fish from Karjat and other areas are still available? I sell pomfret, Bombay duck, and prawns, earning around ₹1,000-2,000 daily. What do we do now?”

For Bhaskar Tandel, another local fisher, the ban has touched a raw nerve. “The ban has deprived around 500 Koli families of an income. But it’s more than our livelihood, it’s our identity,” he said.

Aishwarya Randive, assistant commissioner, state fisheries department, said there has always been a ban on fishing at Sassoon Docks during the monsoon. “This is a central government rule. The ban applies only to marine fishing not inland fishing and is based on scientific studies of marine breeding cycles.” Randive said fish cannot be sold at Sassoon Docks during this season but did not elaborate on whether it covered the sale of inland or stored fish.

When questioned about ongoing fishing in places like Karjat and the Konkan, Randive clarified, “Fishing continues in those areas because they are classified as inland fisheries. The monsoon ban applies specifically to marine fishing on the west coast, from June 1 to July 31, and will also be imposed gradually on the east coast.”

Pawle pointed out that the sale of cold-storage fish, transported from places like Taloja or Navi Mumbai, has also been curtailed, a restriction not observed in previous years. “There are no boats coming into Sassoon Docks during the ban, we get that. But even fish brought in from markets outside is being blocked. What law prevents us from selling that,” he asked.

He alleged that the restriction on fish sales at Sassoon Docks is just one of many pressures the Koli community faces, including a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by an NGO against dock activities and the imposition of high rents based on Ready Reckoner rates by the MPA. “This is a systematic effort to suppress Mumbai’s original inhabitants. Does Mumbai not belong to the Kolis,” he asked.