IMPACTS OF AQUACULTURE ON THE MANAGEMENT OF ESTUARIES IN INDIA

The emergence of commercial aquaculture in estuaries along the coast o f Karnataka, India, has resulted in the breakdown of traditional metho ds of resource management and adverse impacts on the coastal environme nt. Based on field survey, personal discussions and published literatu re, we analyzed the evolution of different market (economic), traditio nal, and regulatory institutions governing the use of estuarine resour ces in the study area over the last three decades, and identified the environmental and social impacts of this evolution. In the past, infor mal associations of farmers in the estuarine floodplains had managed l ands for raising crops and brackish-water fish in a sustainable way. I n recent years, under economic and political pressures, landowners lea sed their lands to commercial shrimp-producers. A rapid growth in the production of commercial shrimp, employment of unsustainable productio n technologies, and laxity in environmental regulation have caused neg ative ecological and economic impacts on communities dependent on estu arine resources. Through a recent order from the Indian Supreme Court, environmentalists and the affected communities have sought to ban com mercial aquaculture in ecologically-sensitive areas. While this court order awaits implementation, several policy options are here suggested fbr local, state and central governments in India in order to protect the estuarine environment.