» Fishworkers and EFTA-India FTA
India is negotiating an FTA with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) - Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland. The economies of Norway and Iceland are highly dependent on the fisheries sector. Several provisions within the EFTA- India FTA would lead to the opening of the fisheries sector to foreign companies and products. With the introduction of regressive policy regimes such as the Costal Zone Management (CZM) notification, the current Indian Government has actively sought foreign investment with little consideration of its social and environmental impact. The EFTA-India FTA would increase the pressure on fish resources, exacerbate the neglect of traditional fishing communities, reduce livelihood opportunities for Indian fisherfolk, and create unfair competition for fishworkers.

Resources
Fisheries Trade in India: Understanding Potentials and Barriers
NUPI, Meenakshi Rajeev | October 2008
This paper examines production, trade and policies related to the seafood sector in India. It provides background information for the EFTA-India FTA negotiations as well as for increased economic cooperation between Norway, EFTA and India. While presenting a status of the sector, it highlights the issue of imports and looks at the current tariff structure of the fisheries sector. It examines the sector in terms of output and growth and makes forecasts on the basis of the existing trends. It also looks at direct trade with Norway and the potentials of the EU-India trade agreement.

India’s FTA rush: Kerala’s farmers and fishworkers stand to lose
Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation (KSMTF), Press Release | December 20, 2007
FTAs such as the EU-India Trade and Investment Agreement, India-Thailand FTA, the ASEAN-India Regional Trade and Investment Area and now the EFTA-India FTA pose threats to the fishing community in Kerala. Fishworkers unions, farmers groups, researchers and civil society organisations participated in a meeting, organised by KSMTF in collaboration with Focus on the Global South. Speakers at the meeting included Farmers Relief Forum leader, AC Varkey and KSMTF President, T Peter.

For a longer history of issues and movements, see: Nalini Nayak and A. J. Vijayan, ‘The Coasts, the Fish Resources and the Fishworkers’ Movement‘, National Human Rights Commission, and ‘The Unique Struggles of the Fishworkers’, Labour File, Vol. 2, Nos 7 & 8, Centre for Education and Communication, New Delhi. 1996.

For a short history of national and global fishworkers movements, see: Smitu Kothari, ‘Bringing Justice and Culture Back In: Global Action for Local Livelihoods’, Global Society Yearbook 2009, Oxford University Press, forthcoming.

Appeal by National Fishworkers Forum to reverse government’s policy on deep-sea joint ventures, see: NFF, ‘Victory for Fishworkers‘, Samudra, July 1996.

For an article on the marginalization of women in Norwegian fisheries, and the failure for the new regime to recognize the role they play, see: Eva Munk-Madsen, ‘Life is the Goal, Not Fishing‘, Samudra, December 1994.

For a critical article on the proposed CMZ notification and its impact on traditional fishing communities, see: Sebastian Mathew, ‘Coastal Management Zone: Implications for Fishing Communities‘, Economic and Political Weekly, June 21, 2008.

For an article looking at the nature of subsidies provided to fishworkers in Norway, and how they fail to combat unsustainable fisheries in the area, see: Gunnar Album, ‘Skimming the cream‘, Samudra, August 2008.

For a review of the failure of the Norwegian Fisheries Management structure to include fishing rights to the Samis - an indigenous community in Norway, see: Steiner Pederson, ‘Formalizing Indigenous Fishing Rights‘, Samudra, November 2008.

For more information on the Norwegian government policy on fisheries, see the official portal of the Ministry of Fisheries and Coastal Affairs, Government of Norway: www.fisheries.no

For the FTA text which includes fisheries related provisions, see EFTA-Colombia FTA. Also see Annex IV (Fish and Other Marine Products): http://www.efta.int/content/legal-texts/third-country-relations/colombia/ftacolombia

Links
Kerala Swatantra Matsya Thozhilali Federation (KSMTF, Kerala Independent Fishworkers Federation) is a pioneering non-party trade union working with small and artisanal fishworkers in Kerala. www.keralafishworkers.org

National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) is a national federation of trade unions and organizations of fishworkers in India. The NFF was an outcome of fishworker struggles in the late 1970s, protesting the introduction of large-scale mechanized trawlers. NFF is now actively campaigning against the proposed Coastal Zone Management Notification and for a national-level legislation to comply with the ILO Convention on Work in the Fishing Sector 2007: nff@vsnl.com, nffcal@cal3.vsnl.net.in

The World Forum of Fisherpeople (WFF) is an international network of small scale and artisanal fishworkers. Its main objective is to protect, defend and strengthen communities that depend on fishing for their livelihood and to provide support for national and international struggles that share the struggle of the Forum: http://www.wffpfishers.org/history.html

The International Collective in Support of Fishworkers (ICSF) is an international non-governmental organization that works towards the establishment of equitable, gender-just, self-reliant and sustainable fisheries, particularly in the small-scale, artisanal sector: http://www.icsf.net