PEARL Multidisciplinary Journal

Role of Collective Action and Governance in Implementing Sustainable Fishing Practices: A Case Study of Karnataka Marine Fisheries

In coastal Karnataka two hundred thousand fishing households are directly dependent on marine fishing which provides livelihood, security and minimizes the vulnerability to chronic poverty. The small-scale fisheries employing labour intensive harvesting, processing, and distribution technologies to harvest near-shore fishery resources were contributing less to the output and more to the employment. However, rapid growth of mechanization and expansion of international trade coupled with growing number of non-fishing communities in fisheries sector caused a transformation of fisheries during the past two decades. Macro level assessment of per capita income from fishing shows a declining trend during the last 10 years although the overall net domestic product in the region has been increasing. The declining resources and increasing use of coastal waters for non-fishery related activities have undermined the role of small-scale fisheries and its capacity to provide ecosystem goods and services. The restoration of small scale fishing requires a multi-pronged fishery management approach including community support and action. The recently organized stakeholder consultations with different fishing groups have evolved scope for executing collective management measures. The study is based on the outcome of a number of stakeholder consultations organized during 2016 as part of the national programme of International Collective in Support of Fish workers (ICSF) to disseminate and implement the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) “Voluntary Guidelines for Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries”. The study is based on expert consultations, meetings with community based organizations and stakeholder consultations. Two prominent community based organizations were consulted regarding the impact of executing the FAO guidelines. The stakeholders consultation have focused on three major action research issues such as identification of measures to minimize the negative impact of implementing FAO guidelines on small-scale fishers, restriction and gradual removal of fuel subsidy to destructive fishing practices, reducing the dependence of women on state sponsored support schemes, integration of community based management measures with state fishery regulations, mobilizing community support/social capital for discouraging un-sustainable fishing technologies. The results of the study was helpful in understanding the real issues of governance and collective action required for the implementation of common fishery management regulations such as extended closed seasons and areas, introduction of minimum mesh size, limiting fishing effort through scientific licensing policy

The Milky Way - Our Home in the Universe

Aakasha Ganga, Via Lactea or the Milky Way is our home in the Universe. The discovery of the telescope by Galileo Galilei had facilitated the sky watchers to notice a variety of geometrical forms in the sky. The use of photographic techniques have expanded our knowledge about galaxies. Galaxies can be grossly put into one of the 3 types: elliptical, spiral and irregular galaxies. Milky way is one among billions of galaxies present in the universe and it is spiral galaxy. Newtons law of gravitation explains the planetary motions in solar system. But to explain the motion of sun and other stars in galaxy one has to modify Newtonian gravity dynamics. Development of quantum mechanics, particle physics and the measurement of stellar velocities at unprecedented accuracies would help to unravel the mystery of the formation of Milky Way in near future.

A Study on Psycho-social Burden of Women after Surgical Removal of Breast

Breast cancer, the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in women, is the disease women fear most. Breast cancer can also occur in men, but it’s far less common. Along with the physical trauma the psychological and social burden of breast cancer is severe and medical treatment must be complimented by psychosocial intervention for better result. This is the study to explore the psycho social and physical burden of women affected by breast cancer.

The objective of the study is to explore the physical burden of women after surgical removal of the breast, to discover the psychological burden of the women after the removal of the breast and to explore the social burden of women after removal of breast. The methodology is qualitative with case study method.

The study result shows that most of the respondents had physical discomfort, pain, infection and allergic reactions and psychological trauma including depression, anxiety and shyness. They were also withdrawing from social functions and scared of the society. The study has the social work implications in the areas of social work interventions to assess and diagnose the psycho social burden and to provide help in managing them.

Occupational Stress among Long Route Truck Drivers: A Study

Long route truck drivers are the people who travel from one place to another to deliver goods by truck or trolleys. Researchers have identified a number of health concerns and other health related issues, which include obesity, heart problems, high blood pressure, diabetes and more. These conditions are very prevalent in the trucking industry, and impact not only the driver’s health, but also their ability to stay on the road (Thorpe, 2017). Long working hours, night work, or spending extended periods on the road away from friends and family can isolate drivers and levee them too exhausted to nourish their relationships. This descriptive study was undertaken among 200 long route truck drivers to find out the occupational stress experienced by the ong route truck drivers. Purposive sampling technique was followed. The study indicates that these drivers experience tremendous stress in several areas. The study suggests that these drivers should have a periodical medical checkup and counseling services to find out the problems related to their ailments and take steps to reduce the same.

The Problem of Plenty Versus Quality of Life

The quality of life of people largely depends upon meaningful development of an economy. A healthy, educated and an empowered population contributes to improved productivity which in turn sustain economic growth. In view of the emerging multi-faceted trends in population in India, population stabilization is the chief issue which the country has to accord top priority in its march towards socio-economic development. The programme of family planning and infant health care programmes are of vital importance to improve the’ quality of life’. In this paper an attempt is made to present a model of small family norm in improving quality of life through social marketing principles.