Livelihood Of Fisherwomen Community - An Analysis

Abstract

The worldwide pandemic situation, COVID – 19 has unpredictable impacts on all the sectors of the economy all over the world and is no exception to the fishing sector. The fishing sector plays a very crucial role in the economy by satisfying food and employment to millions of people and narrating the cultural identity of many coastal communities and contributing to keeping them fishing communities across India. A sudden India-wide lock-down, with just four-hour notice during COVID – 19 outbreak turned many Indian fisherwomen's livelihood upside down. Though the lockdown may help reduce the spread of coronavirus; but has a chronic impact on the livelihood of vulnerable populations i.e. fisherwomen, particularly on food systems, storage, and market chains both locally and regionally. Mumbai has a wide coastal line on which most of people depend on fishing for their bread and butter. As an impact of the current pandemic, a number of fisherwomen lost their employment and suffered increasing poverty and inequality. With a large number of fishing days lost because of Cyclone in 2019 and now the pandemic, fisherwomen have been looking for support to run their daily lives. They still await their full- fledge fishing days to begin.