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Simon, one of the oldest fishermen at 75, gave various reasons for his livelihood's decline."Small boats surround us and fish with their own nets," he said, also blaming nearby factories polluting the waters and the 2004 tsunami, after which they saw a drop in catch."We pull the nets, tourists come, they give us something and that's how we survive."Declining fish stocks are a concern well beyond Fort Kochi, according to Professor Bhanu Kumar, from the meteorology and oceanography department at India's Andhra University.Climate change, industrial pollution and declining mangrove cover along the Indian coastline -- "all these reasons are really causing big havoc to the fish," he told AFP.While technology now exists to help trawlers at sea locate waters ripe for fishing, this is adding to the pressure on fish stocks -- and is of little help to those at the stationary Chinese nets.A flicker of hope came with a recent visit by Chinese diplomats -- encouraged by the heritage link -- to see if they could offer "a symbol of cooperation", said Kerala's tourism secretary Suman Billa.No formal proposals have been made, however, and Kochi residents feared India would decline outside assistance.The Keralan government has meanwhile sanctioned 15 million rupees ($242,000) for refurbishing the nets, whose parts need regular replacement and maintenance.But with catches on the decline, it seems more sustainable solutions are needed to preserve the heritage site -- and not only as a picturesque emblem for tourism brochures."It's a livelihood for these people as well as the iconic signature of Kochi," said Sohan, the former mayor, also chairman of a town planning committee.He said the government should provide insurance for the fishermen, as well as subsidised timber -- they currently use iron in some of their poles instead of the traditional and more expensive teak.The fishermen also need to add value to their shrinking catch, perhaps by cooking and serving fish to customers near the nets in a "you buy, we fry" arrangement, Sohan suggested."What the fishermen sell for 100 rupees ($1.60), the hotels sell for 500 rupees -- why can't they?" he said."It's a challenge of survival."For now the fishermen keenly welcome visitors to their intriguing machines, letting them pull on the ropes and snap souvenir pictures in exchange for donations."We live like beggars," said Simon, as the latest curious holidaymakers approached.
Watch as we explore the power and performance differences among these vehicles, highlighting how YAXIs 4WD cart excels in rugged terrain with its superior 96V 15kW motor and 96V 152A ternary lithium battery
They are the tip of the iceberg. When this was originally published, the paragraphs introducing Goldberg were transposed
It shall be numbered with figures at least three inches in height, corresponding with the number of the setline license
