Predicament And Outlet:Research On The Sustainable Livelihoods Of Professional Fishers

As an indispensable part of agriculture, the fishing industry largely depends onfishing resources and the ecological environment of waters for its development. As theeconomy booms and the urbanization hastens its pace, pollutions of waters, mining andsand excavating in rivers and water projects worsens waters environment, underminesfishing resources and hence result in the following consequence: the production materialresources of Professional fishers are declining, their living space is being compressed andtheir means of livelihood are uncertain.This thesis elaborates the current situation of Professional fishers in a fishing area inGuangxi province and it adopts the methods of interview and participation observation.From the theoretical perspective of the analytical framework of sustainable livelihoods, itclaims that Professional fishers face the impacts deriving from the following aspects:water projects and fishing moratorium, undermining of fishing resources by humans, thepredicament of fishers making their living by other means and fishing cost. The thesisreveals that the predicament of fishers is brought about by the following factors: influenceof national policy, competition from non-professional fishers, the deterioration of naturalenvironment and fishers themselves.The thesis concludes that fishers are facing with multiple impacts and the distributionof livelihood assets is in a disequilibrium, which results in the vulnerability and risk residingin fishers’ livelihood. The state should increase its policy support for these fishers,promote the development of fishing areas and stabilize the living of Professional fishers.In the meantime, Professional fishers should give their advantages to full play, realize theoptimization and transformation of their livelihood and seek diversification of their meansof livelihood, creating preconditions for their livelihood’s transforming to a sustainablemode.