Waste having a choking effect on backwater fish

KOCHI: Plastic, metal and other waste choking the backwaters are not only robbing them of their beauty, but also leading to a rapid decrease in the density of fish in the backwaters, according to a survey by a team of scientists and researchers of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI).Breeding habitats deteriorate when the plastic waste covers the area, fish suffer when they consume the waste and many, caught in ghost-nets, perish. As they are not biodegradable plastics can float around for years.“We found fishermen netting a staggering amount of plastic and other waste along with the catch. The fishermen who are not aware of the hazards throw the waste back into the water. Even large sheets of thick plastic trapped in the nets are dumped back into the water and they invariably settle on critical habitats like rocks where fish lay eggs,” said V Kripa, Principal Scientist and head, Fishery Environment Management Division, who led the survey at Panangad, Moothakunnam and Thevara. “As we are conducting the survey with the cooperation of stake net fishermen, we have asked them to sort out the plastic and weigh them and we’re keeping a record,” she said. Besides the waste being dumped, a lot of refuse flows into the backwaters during rainy season. During high tide, water flows onto the land and returns to the backwaters with a lot of waste during low tide. Fish end up consuming such debris, leading to death.“Ghost nests or tattered nets thrown into the sea by fishermen are also fatal for the fish.  Shoals of fish get caught in those discarded nets and die unable to move or feed,” she added.Explaining the menace of metal wastes, she  stated that these create endless problems for fishermen too, for they cut into their nets.“We are creating awareness and asking the fishermen to bring back the plastic waste, but what to do with it is the moot question. If they are left on the shore, they will flow back into the water,” she explained.