PURI, Odisha: Chilika lake, which is of nearly 1000 square km length, spreads across Puri, Khordha and Ganjam districts in Odisha was once rice bowl of almost 2 lakh traditional fisher families living in and around Chilika lake. The brackish water of Chilika was also a suitable breeding ground for khainga (fish) and bagda (tiger prawn), and was exported to national and international markets.
But fishers say that for last two decades fish catch from Chilika has reduced due to various reasons. Opening up of sea mouth, frequent extreme weather events like cyclones and heavy rainfall, encroachment of non-fishers for aqua culture have increased the vulnerability of traditional fishers forcing them to migrate to states such as Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Assam to do different odd jobs, leaving behind their traditional livelihoods.
