"What types of fishing knots are you engaged in?

"

"We use fiber boats, and we go out in groups. We do various fishing techniques, including fishing hooks,
net works, and other handiworks."

"Do you go in your own boats?"

"Out of 25 people working, only 6 own their own boats. The rest are daily wage earners. I personally
own a boat, and about 25 to 30 people work with me."

"How far do you stay away from the beach?"

"About 1 kilometer."

"During which season do you experience severe weather conditions?"

"Previously, it was June to July, but now it's unpredictable. We recently experienced rough seas without
warning, like the day before yesterday. The wind didn't cause much trouble, but the rough sea affected
the entire shoreline. Some kids even uploaded videos of it online."

"Were there any cyclones in the sea?"

"Yes, unexpectedly. There was a cyclone in the northern sea. Fortunately, we didn't venture out due to
Easter celebrations. However, Alappuzha and Poovar areas experienced losses, but they managed to
save many things since it was daytime."

"Did you receive any warnings on the 31st?"

"No, we didn't receive any warnings. We used to receive warnings through the panchayath microphone,
but that day, although there were warnings, no wind came. We were all idle back then. Interestingly,
when we started to work, the wind picked up."

"Did you receive any messages on your phone?"

"No, we received no messages. We have a WhatsApp group, but nothing was communicated there."

Imagine if you received a warning two hours before going for fish trapping, with 40 km/h winds and 3-
meter-high tides. You are a group. How would you react?

"We wouldn't go if we received such a warning."

"But we don’t get any such warnings."

"You don’t get any warnings before two hours?"

"Sir, there's no use getting warnings two hours before. We go at different times, like 4 o'clock or 5
o'clock. We need a warning the day before. It's safer for the fishermen."
"Do you expect that?"

"Yes, we expect that. If there's wind forecasted for tomorrow, we won't go."

"Do you decide in groups, or does the owner of the boat decide?"

"No, no. We decide in groups. We don't differentiate based on ownership; we are all equal. If anyone of
us gets the news, we spread it and decide together."

"Who takes the decision when you get the news?"

"We all gather near the boats and decide. It's unfortunate even if it's the fishing season. If there's wind,
we won't go. We make decisions accordingly."

"Even if it's the season, it's not like before. The weather conditions are too bad these days."

"All of you can respond, please."

"The fishes are very scarce."

"Nowadays, we have to work hard until 5 in the morning and still find no fish. Out of a week, we try for
six days, but only three days are productive."

"With expenses totalling around 10 thousand, when we calculate the costs of petrol and the boat, we're
left with only 1500 or 2000 in hand. Fishes are very scarce."

"We go out for a month, but we do not even get a share of 2500 in a week. It's hard to catch small
fishes. So, there are those who come in Karakkumadi 200 meter to 150 meter inside the sea; they stay
inside the big boats for so long, take all the big and small fishes not allowing it to breed, and spread
messages, and take even the small fishes from near the shore as well and we end up in trouble."

"Around 10-25 people will be in Karakkumadi, so people like us in Thattumadi will be in trouble. They
cast their net near the seashore in Karakkumadi, and despite our complaints to the Fisheries, no action
has been taken. They take all the small fishes like sardines, etc., using big carriers to haul them away.
People from the northern area come to fish in these areas. In this region, we are bound to fish trapping,
and all the small boats are piled up here. In the Neendakara area, they bring all their boats to this
harbor, so our fish trapping has reduced. We are suffering in this area."

"Which means you must go further to catch fishes?"

"Yes, if they get some fishes, they will cover that area and catch all the fishes."

"Can they cover the high tides and heavy winds in their huge boats?"

"Yes, it's possible for them to do that with their boats. They can cover almost all weather conditions. But
they can do this in their own areas without harming us."
"If you are in the middle of the sea and experience 40 km/h winds and 3-meter high tides, what will you
do in this situation?"

"The wind starts from the Poovar area, so they will inform us that the wind has started. So it spreads
through each of us."

"Do you exchange information through wireless or phone?"

"We exchange information more through wireless. We don't get phone range after a certain distance."

"Do you have wireless?"

"We have walkie-talkies, mainly a big wireless, where we spread information. They contact us through
this."

"What do you do after you get the information?"

"We don’t stay any longer. We take out the nets faster and head to the shore. Sometimes we cut off the
nets and return, but that's a big loss."

"How further can you survive the storm when it is so strong and still catch fish?"

"We did not know the speed of the storm earlier before 'Ockhi'. It used to calm by itself, and we
continued fishing. Now we know after 'Ockhi it is not silly, we are scared of the wind. Earlier, our
ancestors used to predict the storms accurately, so it was once in a while."

"My answer is to your question which you asked earlier about knowing the speed of the storm. The
maximum speed of our engine is 25 km/h, so we will match the speed of the wind with the engine
speed. If it is possible, we continue; otherwise, we try to head back."

"Is it possible to cast a net while there is a storm?"

"No, it is impossible to cast a net during a storm, so we will try to retrieve it. However, it's very difficult,
so we won't cast the net."

"When you return during a storm, how do you face it?"

"As the storm increases, the waves also increase, so the engine speed must be decreased; otherwise,
the boat will break by hitting the waves. So, considering that, it takes hours to reach the shore as it is a
heavy storm. That's how we get trapped in the middle of the sea."

"Tell us about how you let the people on land know?"

"We will inform them once the storm starts that we will need them near the shore to pull the boat, even
if it is midnight. The easiest way to escape is through the harbours like Perumara poozhi; it is the safest
way when there is a storm."

"Is it safe through those ways?"

"Yes, it is. Now it is calm at sea. Yesterday, a boat fell at Perumara poozhi. And a few days back, two
boats fell. Now, we can't enter through Perumara poozhi because the ships are coming, and they take
the sand from the center of the sea. They could take some sand from the canal, and ships enter and exit
through that area. But they take responsibility only for their safety."

"Please, the rest of you also respond."

"Imagine if there's a warning from land, that there is a 6-meter high tide and 62 km/h heavy storm, and
your village is flooded. How will you react?"

"Until now, we haven’t experienced flooding. We have experienced storms like Ockhi, which is above 65
to 85 km/h. The warning we get is to evacuate from our homes. You have asked a question about how
many kilometers far we're living from the beach; well, we’re living a bit farther, but still, the heavy storm
causes a lot of issues like trees falling, houses falling, and the boats as well."

"We want you to tell us how you’d react in such situations. The panchayat will ask you to evacuate and
all, right? So tell us how you will take care of your things."

"First, we will make sure if the wind will affect us badly or not. Then we will take care of our family as
asked by the panchayat or government. If any evacuation is needed, we will do as instructed. Before
that, we need to keep our boats safely somewhere."

"We are asking this because we never experienced such heavy storms in this area, that is, the Arabian
Sea."

"Usually, these storms come from the Indonesia area."

"Ockhi came from the south. As per the scientists, in the future, there are chances for a heavy storm in
the Arabian Sea. Because of this, the fishermen and their families must be cautious, and we wanted to
know how you’d react. That's why we asked that question."

"In our times, we never experienced anything like Ockhi."

"But there are chances for Ockhi to come from this area. So we should be cautious."

"The Arabian Sea is here, right. It is through the middle of the Bengal Sea and through the Srilanka area
that the wind came. The wind is not from the Arabian Sea. It went all the way to Gujarat."

"But again in the future, it will come from here. It came from there, that’s why it didn’t affect us."

"So we want to know about that."

"From the western areas, there were heavy winds."

"But Ockhi-like didn’t come."

"We reached the shore the night before Ockhi came, we overcame that, and in the future, if another
Ockhi comes, we need a warning beforehand."

"How early do you think you need a warning?"

"We need a warning earlier, like we said earlier, at least a day before. That is 24 hours earlier."

"During the Ockhi time, from here, not many of us went to the middle; we were close by. People in the
middle were trapped. In my memory, in 1997 or 1998 at night, we received a warning that there was a
tsunami coming, and we all escaped."

"That day, did they go at their own expenses?"

"No, we were all going on our own, without any vehicle, just on our legs. It was a panchayat that saved
us."

"Does your family check and say if there is a warning?"

"Yes."

"Do they watch the TV and tell you?"

"Yes, they tell us."

"Do you listen to them?"

"Of course. We listen to them."

"Do you have a safe place to evacuate and take shelter?"

"No."

"Does the government provide?"

"No, we don’t have any."

"Like a church hall?"

"No, we don’t have any so far. We are expecting to get some, if we get, we’ll be thankful."

‘’Thank you for cooperating with us, thank you’’