KERALA FISHERIES FORUM

Kerala Fisheries Forum has been a non-registered platform of about 35 NGOs, RSO (Research Support Organizations) and CBOs (Community Based Organizations), during the 90’s. It was the offshoot of the consultative sessions initiated by Mr.Kurien Kattikkaran, on behalf of Bilance, the funding agency in Netherland, who has been funding some of the NGOs in Kerala Fisheries such as TDFF, FIDES, LAYOLA – POOVAR, QMS – Kollam, etc. The context of these consultative series was while the Bilance, wanted to phase out from Kerala. 

The series of meetings participated by about 35 organizations such as TSSS, SIFFS, KSMTF, MITRA NIKETHAN – Calicut, CEDS – Alappuzha, etc finally decided to form this platform for two purposes: 1. help and facilitate the agency Bilance to make it as one project, participated  by other project-holders, unlike many small projects before; 2. continue to intervene in the Kerala fisheries, but with perspective community approach of diversification of the coastal people. The series of discussion finally came out with strongly worded and well-founded Kerala Fisheries Forum Policy Document.

The Forum General Body constituted an Excutive Committe with Fr Eugene Pereira as the Convenor and I, Clement Lopez as the Coordinator. It also constituted varioius Sub Committees such as Women, Employment, Fisheries, etc and Regional Sub Committees such as Trivandrum, Kollam, Central Kerala and the Malabar Region.