Knowledge and Achievement Motivation of Marine Fishers: A Case of Alternate Livelihood Options in Tamil Nadu

In recent past, farming of marine fishes is being encouraged among the marine fishers to supplement the household income from capture fisheries, because the fish catch is declining. The study on extent of knowledge and achievement motivation of marine fishers’ adopting alternate livelihood options like sea cage farming, seaweed farming and ornamental fish culture was conducted in Ramanathapuram district of Tamil Nadu since many marine fisheries related activities are being undertaken in larger scale in comparison to other coastal districts. Overall analyses on level of achievement motivation reveal that majority of respondents who are adopting the alternate livelihood options are having medium to high level of achievement motivation. All the farming options have to be undertaken in the sea, which is a common property and it demands a common consensus in a particular village or region for taking up an activity in a desirable and profitable way. Hence, the need for personal achievement was present in majority of fishers, followed by personal achievement oriented influence and need for social achievement. The study found that fishers were able to perform better in the knowledge test since they gained adequate knowledge on all the alternate livelihood options.