A fishery harbour is a complex of facilities that acts as an interface between the capture of fish and its consumption.
Where small, beachable boats landing small quantities of fish are used, only modest facilities for cleaning, sorting, selling and storage may be required, in which case 'landing place' may be a more appropriate expression than 'harbour' (see Fig. 1 and Fig. 2).
However, as the fishing vessels become larger and landed quantities increase, the need for quicker unloading, more selective product handling and improved distribution facilities arises together with a demand for more sophisticated maintenance and repair facilities, both for vessels and equipment (see Fig. 3 and Fig. 4).
A comprehensive fishery harbour would include fish processing facilities, cold storage, ice plant and administrative offices, and several other facilities within the harbour complex (see Fig 5) including roads, parking areas for private and commercial vehicles, space around the halls for loading and unloading, net repair halls and areas for future expansion. Managing this multiplicity of functions is akin to managing a mini-municipality.
No matter what the category, the fact remains that activities within the fishery harbour complex generate wastes of varying degrees and types. These wastes, if not properly handled, will lead to contamination of the product and degradation of the harbour environment due to pollution. The cost of correcting the problem 'after the fact' can be very high. Washing of fish using polluted harbour water and unsanitary handling are factors that contribute to rapid spoilage of fish and pose serious health hazards due to contamination of water and fish.
The fishery industry, especially the small-scale sector, can ill afford economic losses from lower prices received for poor quality fish. Likewise, the national economy cannot afford the loss of entire overseas markets. More significantly, consumer demand for quality is growing rapidly. Importing nations insist on clean and hygienic landing places as prerequisites to meet the high quality standards for seafood set by them.
Under such circumstances, the burden of responsibility lies heavily with the harbour manager to ensure a clean harbour environment. Ways and means must be found to elicit co-operation from all harbour users; to ensure that municipal services extend to the fishery harbour complex too; to find appropriate means of collection and disposal of wastes; and, lastly to create an awareness among all stakeholders that the fishery harbour complex constitutes a significant community and social capital that needs to be protected.
A major asset for a fishery harbour manager is a good understanding of his environment and a set of procedures to assess the severity of pollution and implement corrective measures. He needs to be alert to the first signs of environmental degradation to ensure action in time. This handbook provides him with basic technical information on typical pollutants encountered in a fishery harbour. It also contains information about sanitation, collection and disposal of wastes, quality standards that he must ensure for water and fish, and guidelines for pollution abatement including suggestions for obtaining compliance from the community through awareness building.
This document puts together a selection of useful published materials on harbour pollution, along with experiences from implementing pilot projects to promote cleaner fishery harbours in the Bay of Bengal region.
Figure 1: TYPICAL VILLAGE LANDING CENTRE (Open Beach or Estuarine)
Location of fishing grounds: Inshore
Typical fishing trip: From 12 to 24 hours
Types of vessels: Non motorised fishing canoes, small motorised canoes, gillnets, pole and line, hand-line etc.
Types of landed products: Fresh fish, low volume high value
Typical shore processing: Gutting, icing, boxing for retail, drying and smoking
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Shallow bay or estuarine landing
- Primitive road access
- Fresh water supply from borewells
- No toilet facilities
- No bunkering facilities
- Ice supplied by traders, no ice storage.
Location of fishing ground: Inshore
Typical fishing trip: 12 to 24 hours
Types of fishing vessels: Small motorised vessels, trawlers, gillnetters...
Types of landed products:
Fresh fish, low volume
Trash fish, high volume.
Types of shore processing: Gutting, icing, boxing for retail
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Protected bay, beach landing of small vessels possible
- Fresh water available from overhead tank storage
- Fuel supply from drums
- Protected area for fish auction
- Ice supply by traders, no ice plant
- Minor vessel repairs on beach.
Figure 3: MEDIUM INSHORE FISHERY HARBOUR
Location of fishing grounds: Inshore
Typical fishing trip: 1 to 3 days
Types of fishing vessels: Small trawlers, gillnetters, line fishing
Types of landed products:
High value shrimp, low volume
Low value trashfish, high volume
Types of shore processing: Gutting, icing, packing for refrigerated trucks
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Break water protection
- Good road access
- Fresh water supply from borewells and municipality
- Mini ice plant
- Slipway for vessel repairs
- Draft to allow vessels upto 15 tons.
Figure 4: INSHORE/OFFSHORE FISHERY HARBOUR
Location of fishing grounds: Inshore/Offshore upto 1 week steaming
Typical fishing trip: 1 to 15 days
Types of fishing vessels: Typically trawlers, purse seiners and off shore gillnetters
Types of landed products:
High value shrimp, medium volume
High value pelagics, medium volume
Low value trash fish, large volume
Types of landed products: Gutting, icing, peeling, drying, freezing, fish meal
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Break water protection
- Draft to allow vessels upto 100T
- Ice and full storage and supply
- Freezing plant
- Municipal fresh water
- Protected auction shed
- Slipway for repair
Figure 5: DEEP SEA FISHERY HARBOUR
Location of fishing grounds: Distant waters, upto 3 weeks steaming
Typical fishing trip: 1 to 12 months
Types of vessels: Large trawlers, purse seiners, research vessels
Types of landed products: Mostly frozen high value species
Types of shore processing: Packaging, filleting, canning
CHARACTERISTICS:
- Breakwater protection and deep draft upto 6m
- Fish processing and packaging plants
- Municipal freshwater
- Quaside bunkering facilities
- High security, oil spill response services
- Rail head
Figure 6: FISHING HARBOUR ACTIVITY
