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== SOCIO-ECONOMICS - ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/ae483e/ae483e00.pdf ==
"Tamil Nadu has a total marine fisherfolk population of about 396,000 living in 422 fishing
villages. The total number actually engaged in fishing is estimated at 96,500. The districtwise
distribution of the marine fishing villages and the fisherfolk population is given in Appendix 10.1.
Christian fisherfolk are concentrated in Kanyakumari and Tirunelveli districts, where over 95%
of the fishermen are Christians, while the Muslims are concentrated in the districts of Pudukottai
and Ramanathapuram."
The fisherfolk have a very low status in the social hierarchy. They belong to many castes:
Chettiar, Naicker, Reddiar, Mudaliar, Nattar, Goundar, Padayachi, Santhaipettiyar, Panicker,
Pillai, Kallar, Thevar, Irungaliyar, Vandaiyar, Ambalakaran, Vannier, Maniyagar, Labbai, Rowther,
Samban, Karayar, Paravan, Valayan, Nadar, Pattamkittian, Kadayar, Mukkuwa, Nulaya. Of these,
Rowther and Labbai are Muslim castes while Mukkuwa, Nulaya and Paravan are Christian castes.
Besides fishing, these people engage themselves actively in fish curing, drying, net-making
and marketing.
The number of fisherfolk families is about 76,000. The size of an average family is 5.2 and adult
males and females are 32% each, the rest being children.
It has been estimated that about 40,000 fishermen do not own either boats or gear but true
quantitative information regarding ownership is not available. In cases where there is no ownership
by the crew, 60% of the earnings goes to the owners of the craft and gear and 40% to the
crew.
The income from fishing is seasonal and the bulk of the earnings is often realised during a few
months in the year. The margin for savings or for even distribution of expenditures is small, and
fishermen often get indebted to traders or moneylenders to survive during the off-season. The
major part of the income is spent on food and related items and on clothing.
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