Agricultural Economics Research Review

Kerala is an important contributor to the country's marine fisheries production as well as its export. Various types of fishing fleets, both traditional and mechanized, are used by the fishermen to achieve this status. The present study is mainly focused on the traditional ring seine fishery of Chellanam village in the Ernakulam district of Kerala. This fishery has a unique traditional system of managing the labour as well as fishing activities, an important tradition being the karanila system which regulates the work and wage sharing pattern of the fishery. Though the ring seine unit (craft and gear) is owned by more than one fishermen (shareholders), every fisherman who is capable of fishing has a right to work as well as a share in the wages. The crew:owner ratio of sharing the benefits is 60:40, with the returns to labour being proportional to the revenue generated.