Labour deployment and wage distribution in ring seine fishery of central Kerala

The study is 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. The impact of the work and wage share system has been that every healthy fisherman gets assured employment and a wage, even if he is not actually part of the fishing crew. Though it is a form of disguised unemployment, it has aided in reduction of abject poverty in the community in this area.