The Stolen Protein
28´30
00:39
The first hand for the fishermen, the second for the mothers and the third for the community. The song is about the hardship of going to sea, it gives them strength to pull the net out of the water.
00:57
Millions of people along Indias coastline make a living by fishing, from the fruit of the sea. Each day they cast their nets to feed their families, and to supply India with the valuable in seafood.
01:18
Everyone hopes for a good catch. But today, their efforts were hardly rewarded. A few squid and one larger fish. For the community, theres only a few silverfish.
01:32
Its becoming increasingly difficult for the fishermen on the south coast of India to survive. Lots of families now use modern motorboats but otherwise, its an existence based on tradition. At the market, the women handle the trading. They sell what their husbands catch, and they manage the money.
01:54
Mending the nets and maintaining the boats is the work of the men.
02:03
One of them is Augustino. His family has belonged to the fisher caste for generations. His whole life revolves around the sea.
02:15
Is he proud to be a fisherman?
02:21
O-Ton
Augustino
I was born a fisherman. Ive been going out to sea since I was 12, but Im still a free man. I still have control over myself and my boat. I like my life. Im proud that, unlike office workers or factory workers, Im independent. If the weathers bad, I dont go out. Im just as independent as India.
03:05
Augustino in search of the big catch. Depending on the weather and how much petrol he has, he goes out to sea.
03:18
The best fishing is in the early morning hours, just after sunrise. Augustino uses a fishing line, with lots of hooks and spinners attached. Its painstaking work, but it causes the least damage to the fish.
03:34
Its mostly larger fish that are caught on the hooks. Smaller ones can be tossed back in the sea. Augustino and the other fishermen have years of experience with the rhythm of the sea, so they keep to the rules of nature.
03:50
Despite this, the fish are less plentiful, and Augustino can rarely rejoice over a large catch.
03:59
After five hours of waiting, the hooks are carefully brought back on board. Then its off to another area where the catch might be better.
04:14
More and more often they pass the factory ships of international fishing fleets from countries such as Russia, Norway, Japan and Taiwan. They frequently breach the 30 mile zone that theyre not supposed to fish in. With satellite guided navigation systems, the trawlers can easily find the large schools of fish, and fish good areas clean. Exactly on those spots where Augustino knows its worth dropping his lines.
04:48
Most fishermen dont have enough money for petrol, so they try their luck close to the coast. But here, they can be happy if they catch a single squid. Its a real event.
05:17
Back in the harbour, the dealer from the city is waiting to buy up the catch. He works for international seafood export companies. Word has gotten around that Augustino was able to go far out to sea.
05:34
The bargaining begins immediately.
05:40
O-Ton
110 - 120 - 370.
05:45
We could drink a whisky on that. Come on, lets drink a whisky, thats a good price.
06:05
O-Ton Händler:
What did I just say? Whats he getting? 370? Thats too much. Okay, whatever, Ill give him 400 today.
06:24
400 Rupees, thats 10 Euro. A rare good catch so, for a change, the family can afford to keep a large fish for themselves.
06:38
Thats why at home, theres fish curry for dinner. Augustino´s wife is a good cook. As the wife of a fisherman, she knows lots of recipes, but the curry has already been prepared by her mother. Its a special family recipe.
06:57
When the men come home from the harbour, good smells are already coming from the kitchen. The fish is steamed in a curry sauce with coriander, chilli, and coconut milk.
07:15
Augustino uses the time to relax after his 10 hour shift.
07:24
The fisherman has four sons to raise. He often worries about his childrens future, because the trawlers are emptying the sea of fish. In a few years time, no traditional fishermen will be able to live off what they catch. An entire caste is doomed to disappear.
07:45
O-Ton Augustino:
I wish my sons could have a more secure occupation, for example, being a civil servant for the government. But fishermen belong to one of the lower castes, so theres no way to move up in life. But at least weve made sure that our children have learned to read and write. Thats the least I can do, even if they have to become fishermen like me.
08:07
One of the biggest problems for the fishermen is the high cost of an outboard motor. Even after 10 years, they havent managed to pay off their credit. And because the price of petrol has gone up lately, they have to budget accordingly.
08:25
Its a vicious circle. For a good catch you need to have a motorboat and petrol is expensive. Since the government has taken away the subsidies they can hardly afford not to work for a day. Most of them even have to go to sea at night.
09:01
O-Ton Aug.
Although we go out twice a day, we can hardly make a living. We just cant compete against the big trawlers with their huge nets. They fish everything away. Normally the fish stocks should have recovered by now after the monsoon period where there was no fishing. I really dont know how we will go on.
09:27
The next morning the fishermen union holds a meeting. Its about the trawlers and the fishing ban during the monsoon period. Tom Kotcherry is the unions founder and by now the spokesperson for all of Indias fishermen.
09:41
Tom
We have to rally together hundreds of people so that the fishing ban during the monsoon is adhered to by everyone.
09:49
Augustino
Its really strange. Usually after the monsoon theres an abundance of fish, but not now since the ban isnt kept to.
09:58
Man
It angers me that the government works together with the owners of the large fishing fleets.
10:05
Woman
Yes! The government wanted to work with us so that the fishing ban is respected. But what do they do, they negotiate with the international fishing companies and dont even tell us what agreements theyve come to.
10:12
Augustino
The fishermen must be informed about what the government is doing. It must keep its promise to protect our fish stocks and the fishing union must insist that the government keeps to its promise.
But none of this is working. The big trawlers fish when and where they want to.
10:42
Tom
Yes, in the past there were seminars so that everybody would know how important it is to keep to the fishing ban. But thats being undermined by the big fishing fleets. We have to organise more and demonstrate. Its not right that our government supports the international fishing companies.
11:01
The future of four million traditional fishermen and their families is at stake here, and the fish supply of the entire coastal population of India.
(Tom)
These vessels will go to Indian waters and APC countries. Indirectly they are subsidies the displacing the traditional fishing people and economic ways. There is no return and at the same time there is a big demand in Europe also and naturally these subsidies are also important for them to supply protein to the consumers in Europe)
11:13
O-Ton Tom
The international fishing fleet is fishing in Indian waters and is even being supported in driving away traditional fishermen.
This isnt helping our economy either, because the biggest demand is from Europe and the government subsidies serve primarily to supply Europeans with protein.
11:49
A war is being waged in the Indian Ocean for the last fish stocks in the world.
11:58
Fischer:
We got together to try and drive away the big ships but they pointed guns at us.
12:06
The competition is getting harder and fish is becoming more and more valuable, because the demand in Europe is so high.
The protein delicacy is still cheap in India. European development aid was pumped into the construction of modern harbours, which enable the goods to be shipped directly to Europe.
12:32
Here the really large fish are sold at auction.
12:36
O-Ton:
2000 - 2150 2500 Rupies, who will bid higher?
12:50
The exporters win every time, because they can afford to pay the most.
13:02
The Indian fishermen with their small boats only rarely manage to catch such large, exotic fish.
13:17
O-Ton Fischer:
The international fishing trawlers are plundering our ocean.
13:24
This large fleet is destroying the very basis of our existence.
13:33
We fish from five oclock in the morning till eleven at night, but these thieves are always out there and dont leave anything for us.
13:56
Not only the existence of millions of fishermen is in danger but also a vital source of protein for the Indian population. Meat is not an option for many Indian people either for religious reasons, or simply because they cant afford it. Fish is irreplaceable and everyone is out to hunt for it.
14:17
With larger and larger nets and smaller meshes the ocean is rapidly being emptied. Such fishing methods mean that even young fish and small marine life is dragged into the net. The bycatch is enormous, there is no chance for fish to reproduce and the fish stocks cant recover.
14:41
But even the bycatch is good for the export business, its turned into animal feed used by shrimp farms. There are thousands of brackish water basins along Indias coastline. The fertile mangrove forests, the breeding ground for fish, had to give way to the Aquafarm industry.
14:58
This is where tiger shrimps are bred. To make these profitable animals grow faster theyre given high energy feed three to four times a day. Protein which the Indian population is denied.
15:10
Apart from fishmeal, crabs, squid, cod liver oil and soybean flour are fed to the shrimps.
15:20
This kind of mass breeding though leads to many more problems. Theres very little room in these pools, the fragile animals are prone to illness. Farmers have to react quickly if an epidemic breaks out.
15:47
O-Ton
How many pharmaceuticals do you use?
15:52
O-Ton
Sometimes I give them medicine. If there are complications I give them medicine.
15:59
Special chemicals for use in aquacultures. Shrimp farmers can get hold of most chemicals without a prescription. Growth hormones and antibiotics against infections are readily available.
16:14
This vendor offers all sorts of chlorinated disinfectants as a remedy to stop viruses from spreading.
16:30
Some of the chemicals such as the antibiotic Wolmid are highly dangerous for humans. Others like Chloramphinicol are even banned.
16:40
His sign warns about this, but in the large farms the vendor tells us these chemicals are still being used.
16:53
The poison doesnt just contaminate the animals, the waste water of the breeding pools is also toxic. It is disposed of in the surrounding countryside, all that remains is a salty desert. The residues of the chemicals seep through into the ground water.
17:15
The surrounding villages are suffering from a drought. The wells are empty. Only once a week do the villagers get clean drinking water.
17:30
Theyve had to pool their money to afford this water supply. The tractor has to drive a long way to get the drinking water.
17:46
The fishermans families are financially ruined, because the destruction of the mangroves is making the fish stock shrink more and more. Theyre the losers in the fight for protein.
18:00
O Ton Woman
We are basically being ruined, there is less and less fish and no water.
These farms are a curse. They are making us poor and sick. I took them to court in Delhi. We won. The farms are supposed to shut down, but they continue to poison us. Look at our children, since the farms have been here their wounds no longer heal and the drugs dont work.
18:40
Shrimp farms are a short term business, as breeding basins can only be used for five years. After that the ground is contaminated, because most farmers dont have sufficient know-how to breed shrimp in a responsible and sustainable way.
18:57
All they want is a high and fast return. With a bit of luck they can archive that three times a year. Its a tempting business. Tempting enough for farmers to ignore the fact that this kind of shrimp breeding has long been outlawed in India because it destroys the environment.
19:15
The ban has made things even worse. Its driven up the price of shrimp because there is less competition and the buyers of the export companies are constantly on the look out for new suppliers. The price is determined by size and weight only.
19:35
Its important that the shrimp look good and are exactly the size the exporters are looking for. The Indian dealers are only interested in making a quick Rupee. They dont care how much land was ruined by the aquacultures. They dont ask either how many antibiotics and hormones were fed to the shrimp.
20:02
No fisherman in India can afford to eat shrimp.
20:08
Tons of protein for European gourmets.
20:12
Only few businesses fulfil the high standards necessary to ship fish and shrimp to Europe. The hygiene and technical standards of these companies are checked on a regular basis by a delegation of the European Commission.
20:28
This company is considered to be the perfect example for a modern Indian factory.
20:37
The inspectors have obviously failed to notice the fact that this company also employs many children.
20:44
Theva & Co exports 32 million Euro worth of seafood a year. They are among the biggest fish exporters in the country. Of the 700 shrimp farms that supply this company only 20 are legal. Nobody can see whether the shrimp has been fed growth hormones or antibiotics. Contaminated shrimp are regularly sent back or destroyed. The so called Kanini product of Theva & Co is also affected.
21:14
O-Ton Kanini
(They have found some chloramphinicol and antibiotics which they are giving to the prawns for the growth. Actually all the farmers are using even them, even though after feeding antibiotics some 20 days the have to give. Then only the have to do the harvest. Suppose they do the harvest the earlier stage definitely it will effect the prawns.)
They found some Chloramphinicol and Antibiotics which are given to the prawns. Actually all the farmers are using medicine. After feeding antibiotics you have to wait 20 days. Then only you can do the harvest. Suppose they do the harvest the earlier stage definitely it will effect the prawns.
21:39
These problems dont exist with fish and the wonderfully low prices make seafood an export hit.
21:51
Supported by the Indian government Theva & Co has doubled its turnover in just five years. It even received awards for the best fish and seafood processor in the country. Indias model exporter is doing business in all markets of the rich western world.
22:12
O-Ton
Yes in German. It mainly goes to Germany and the European market, but also to Japan. Thats why we have to label it in different languages. The size and weight also have to be on here. Thats the law in Europe, it all has to be declared, even where it was caught in the Indian Ocean.
22:37
Perfect management for hard Euro.
22:44
O-Ton
You know our Indian economy works like this. We get the inferior, cheaper kinds of fish and the good stuff goes abroad. We need foreign currency thats why we accept the deal.
23:00
Tons of protein for the well-fed gourmets of the west. Different kinds of fish in all shapes and sizes, empty oceans and ruined land. Protein which the local people lack. Boxes and boxes of deep frozen fish for hard currency.
23:45
The port of Hamburg. The fishing boats of global traders fish only by the container load. More than half the seafood imported into the European Union comes from the so called third world, because the sea closer to home is already empty.
24:08
The import regulations are strict and the Europeans control the market. The trade laws are primarily laid out by the rich countries. All in the name of protecting European consumers.
24:21
Every food container is checked by the ports veterinary authorities.
First the temperature of the frozen product is checked. One degree too warm could mean its not safe enough for the European market and the whole container goes back to India.
24:43
The inspectors check thoroughly whether whats on the label is whats inside. The finest fish fillet what looks this good has no problems passing the inspectors.
25:01
The results of the import controls for shrimp are often far less appetising. More than half come from breeding basins even if the label says ocean delicacies.
25:10
In suspicious cases health inspectors keep testing. Particularly Asian shrimp have often been found to be contaminated. They didnt just smell bad they were also found to have dangerous bacteria like cholera. The biggest problem are the residues of hormones and antibiotics.
25:31
They can only be traced with high technical effort and at great expense. But the process is necessary to protect European consumers from these dangerous substances.
25:46
O-Ton
Mielmann
26:16
Because of this health hazard the European authorities even temporarily imposed an import ban on shrimp from China and Thailand.
26:24
The trade in Indian shrimp however, is booming.
26:34
And even scandals about antibiotics in shrimp havent made Europeans lose their appetite for the seafood delicacy.
26:41
With our own fish stocks so diminished, why not turn to more exotic seafood.
26:52
The European consumer has the choice.
27:00
Theres not much left for Indians. Their protein is being stolen and on the land they have left they can no longer grow rice. But Augustino wont give up.
27:13
O-Ton
AUGUSTINO
We cant let them plunder our oceans any longer. The sea and whats in it belongs to us, the traditional fishermen. Of course we can share some of our fish with you, but only if you let us catch it. Otherwise there wont be any left in future.
27:32
Hopefully European consumers will hear the words of the fishermen. Its the only way the exotic delicacies of the Indian Ocean will be available in the long term. And the only hope that Indias fishermen will continue to sing their traditional songs in future.
28´30
00:39
The first hand for the fishermen, the second for the mothers and the third for the community. The song is about the hardship of going to sea, it gives them strength to pull the net out of the water.
00:57
Millions of people along Indias coastline make a living by fishing, from the fruit of the sea. Each day they cast their nets to feed their families, and to supply India with the valuable in seafood.
01:18
Everyone hopes for a good catch. But today, their efforts were hardly rewarded. A few squid and one larger fish. For the community, theres only a few silverfish.
01:32
Its becoming increasingly difficult for the fishermen on the south coast of India to survive. Lots of families now use modern motorboats but otherwise, its an existence based on tradition. At the market, the women handle the trading. They sell what their husbands catch, and they manage the money.
01:54
Mending the nets and maintaining the boats is the work of the men.
02:03
One of them is Augustino. His family has belonged to the fisher caste for generations. His whole life revolves around the sea.
02:15
Is he proud to be a fisherman?
02:21
O-Ton
Augustino
I was born a fisherman. Ive been going out to sea since I was 12, but Im still a free man. I still have control over myself and my boat. I like my life. Im proud that, unlike office workers or factory workers, Im independent. If the weathers bad, I dont go out. Im just as independent as India.
03:05
Augustino in search of the big catch. Depending on the weather and how much petrol he has, he goes out to sea.
03:18
The best fishing is in the early morning hours, just after sunrise. Augustino uses a fishing line, with lots of hooks and spinners attached. Its painstaking work, but it causes the least damage to the fish.
03:34
Its mostly larger fish that are caught on the hooks. Smaller ones can be tossed back in the sea. Augustino and the other fishermen have years of experience with the rhythm of the sea, so they keep to the rules of nature.
03:50
Despite this, the fish are less plentiful, and Augustino can rarely rejoice over a large catch.
03:59
After five hours of waiting, the hooks are carefully brought back on board. Then its off to another area where the catch might be better.
04:14
More and more often they pass the factory ships of international fishing fleets from countries such as Russia, Norway, Japan and Taiwan. They frequently breach the 30 mile zone that theyre not supposed to fish in. With satellite guided navigation systems, the trawlers can easily find the large schools of fish, and fish good areas clean. Exactly on those spots where Augustino knows its worth dropping his lines.
04:48
Most fishermen dont have enough money for petrol, so they try their luck close to the coast. But here, they can be happy if they catch a single squid. Its a real event.
05:17
Back in the harbour, the dealer from the city is waiting to buy up the catch. He works for international seafood export companies. Word has gotten around that Augustino was able to go far out to sea.
05:34
The bargaining begins immediately.
05:40
O-Ton
110 - 120 - 370.
05:45
We could drink a whisky on that. Come on, lets drink a whisky, thats a good price.
06:05
O-Ton Händler:
What did I just say? Whats he getting? 370? Thats too much. Okay, whatever, Ill give him 400 today.
06:24
400 Rupees, thats 10 Euro. A rare good catch so, for a change, the family can afford to keep a large fish for themselves.
06:38
Thats why at home, theres fish curry for dinner. Augustino´s wife is a good cook. As the wife of a fisherman, she knows lots of recipes, but the curry has already been prepared by her mother. Its a special family recipe.
06:57
When the men come home from the harbour, good smells are already coming from the kitchen. The fish is steamed in a curry sauce with coriander, chilli, and coconut milk.
07:15
Augustino uses the time to relax after his 10 hour shift.
07:24
The fisherman has four sons to raise. He often worries about his childrens future, because the trawlers are emptying the sea of fish. In a few years time, no traditional fishermen will be able to live off what they catch. An entire caste is doomed to disappear.
07:45
O-Ton Augustino:
I wish my sons could have a more secure occupation, for example, being a civil servant for the government. But fishermen belong to one of the lower castes, so theres no way to move up in life. But at least weve made sure that our children have learned to read and write. Thats the least I can do, even if they have to become fishermen like me.
08:07
One of the biggest problems for the fishermen is the high cost of an outboard motor. Even after 10 years, they havent managed to pay off their credit. And because the price of petrol has gone up lately, they have to budget accordingly.
08:25
Its a vicious circle. For a good catch you need to have a motorboat and petrol is expensive. Since the government has taken away the subsidies they can hardly afford not to work for a day. Most of them even have to go to sea at night.
09:01
O-Ton Aug.
Although we go out twice a day, we can hardly make a living. We just cant compete against the big trawlers with their huge nets. They fish everything away. Normally the fish stocks should have recovered by now after the monsoon period where there was no fishing. I really dont know how we will go on.
09:27
The next morning the fishermen union holds a meeting. Its about the trawlers and the fishing ban during the monsoon period. Tom Kotcherry is the unions founder and by now the spokesperson for all of Indias fishermen.
09:41
Tom
We have to rally together hundreds of people so that the fishing ban during the monsoon is adhered to by everyone.
09:49
Augustino
Its really strange. Usually after the monsoon theres an abundance of fish, but not now since the ban isnt kept to.
09:58
Man
It angers me that the government works together with the owners of the large fishing fleets.
10:05
Woman
Yes! The government wanted to work with us so that the fishing ban is respected. But what do they do, they negotiate with the international fishing companies and dont even tell us what agreements theyve come to.
10:12
Augustino
The fishermen must be informed about what the government is doing. It must keep its promise to protect our fish stocks and the fishing union must insist that the government keeps to its promise.
But none of this is working. The big trawlers fish when and where they want to.
10:42
Tom
Yes, in the past there were seminars so that everybody would know how important it is to keep to the fishing ban. But thats being undermined by the big fishing fleets. We have to organise more and demonstrate. Its not right that our government supports the international fishing companies.
11:01
The future of four million traditional fishermen and their families is at stake here, and the fish supply of the entire coastal population of India.
(Tom)
These vessels will go to Indian waters and APC countries. Indirectly they are subsidies the displacing the traditional fishing people and economic ways. There is no return and at the same time there is a big demand in Europe also and naturally these subsidies are also important for them to supply protein to the consumers in Europe)
11:13
O-Ton Tom
The international fishing fleet is fishing in Indian waters and is even being supported in driving away traditional fishermen.
This isnt helping our economy either, because the biggest demand is from Europe and the government subsidies serve primarily to supply Europeans with protein.
11:49
A war is being waged in the Indian Ocean for the last fish stocks in the world.
11:58
Fischer:
We got together to try and drive away the big ships but they pointed guns at us.
12:06
The competition is getting harder and fish is becoming more and more valuable, because the demand in Europe is so high.
The protein delicacy is still cheap in India. European development aid was pumped into the construction of modern harbours, which enable the goods to be shipped directly to Europe.
12:32
Here the really large fish are sold at auction.
12:36
O-Ton:
2000 - 2150 2500 Rupies, who will bid higher?
12:50
The exporters win every time, because they can afford to pay the most.
13:02
The Indian fishermen with their small boats only rarely manage to catch such large, exotic fish.
13:17
O-Ton Fischer:
The international fishing trawlers are plundering our ocean.
13:24
This large fleet is destroying the very basis of our existence.
13:33
We fish from five oclock in the morning till eleven at night, but these thieves are always out there and dont leave anything for us.
13:56
Not only the existence of millions of fishermen is in danger but also a vital source of protein for the Indian population. Meat is not an option for many Indian people either for religious reasons, or simply because they cant afford it. Fish is irreplaceable and everyone is out to hunt for it.
14:17
With larger and larger nets and smaller meshes the ocean is rapidly being emptied. Such fishing methods mean that even young fish and small marine life is dragged into the net. The bycatch is enormous, there is no chance for fish to reproduce and the fish stocks cant recover.
14:41
But even the bycatch is good for the export business, its turned into animal feed used by shrimp farms. There are thousands of brackish water basins along Indias coastline. The fertile mangrove forests, the breeding ground for fish, had to give way to the Aquafarm industry.
14:58
This is where tiger shrimps are bred. To make these profitable animals grow faster theyre given high energy feed three to four times a day. Protein which the Indian population is denied.
15:10
Apart from fishmeal, crabs, squid, cod liver oil and soybean flour are fed to the shrimps.
15:20
This kind of mass breeding though leads to many more problems. Theres very little room in these pools, the fragile animals are prone to illness. Farmers have to react quickly if an epidemic breaks out.
15:47
O-Ton
How many pharmaceuticals do you use?
15:52
O-Ton
Sometimes I give them medicine. If there are complications I give them medicine.
15:59
Special chemicals for use in aquacultures. Shrimp farmers can get hold of most chemicals without a prescription. Growth hormones and antibiotics against infections are readily available.
16:14
This vendor offers all sorts of chlorinated disinfectants as a remedy to stop viruses from spreading.
16:30
Some of the chemicals such as the antibiotic Wolmid are highly dangerous for humans. Others like Chloramphinicol are even banned.
16:40
His sign warns about this, but in the large farms the vendor tells us these chemicals are still being used.
16:53
The poison doesnt just contaminate the animals, the waste water of the breeding pools is also toxic. It is disposed of in the surrounding countryside, all that remains is a salty desert. The residues of the chemicals seep through into the ground water.
17:15
The surrounding villages are suffering from a drought. The wells are empty. Only once a week do the villagers get clean drinking water.
17:30
Theyve had to pool their money to afford this water supply. The tractor has to drive a long way to get the drinking water.
17:46
The fishermans families are financially ruined, because the destruction of the mangroves is making the fish stock shrink more and more. Theyre the losers in the fight for protein.
18:00
O Ton Woman
We are basically being ruined, there is less and less fish and no water.
These farms are a curse. They are making us poor and sick. I took them to court in Delhi. We won. The farms are supposed to shut down, but they continue to poison us. Look at our children, since the farms have been here their wounds no longer heal and the drugs dont work.
18:40
Shrimp farms are a short term business, as breeding basins can only be used for five years. After that the ground is contaminated, because most farmers dont have sufficient know-how to breed shrimp in a responsible and sustainable way.
18:57
All they want is a high and fast return. With a bit of luck they can archive that three times a year. Its a tempting business. Tempting enough for farmers to ignore the fact that this kind of shrimp breeding has long been outlawed in India because it destroys the environment.
19:15
The ban has made things even worse. Its driven up the price of shrimp because there is less competition and the buyers of the export companies are constantly on the look out for new suppliers. The price is determined by size and weight only.
19:35
Its important that the shrimp look good and are exactly the size the exporters are looking for. The Indian dealers are only interested in making a quick Rupee. They dont care how much land was ruined by the aquacultures. They dont ask either how many antibiotics and hormones were fed to the shrimp.
20:02
No fisherman in India can afford to eat shrimp.
20:08
Tons of protein for European gourmets.
20:12
Only few businesses fulfil the high standards necessary to ship fish and shrimp to Europe. The hygiene and technical standards of these companies are checked on a regular basis by a delegation of the European Commission.
20:28
This company is considered to be the perfect example for a modern Indian factory.
20:37
The inspectors have obviously failed to notice the fact that this company also employs many children.
20:44
Theva & Co exports 32 million Euro worth of seafood a year. They are among the biggest fish exporters in the country. Of the 700 shrimp farms that supply this company only 20 are legal. Nobody can see whether the shrimp has been fed growth hormones or antibiotics. Contaminated shrimp are regularly sent back or destroyed. The so called Kanini product of Theva & Co is also affected.
21:14
O-Ton Kanini
(They have found some chloramphinicol and antibiotics which they are giving to the prawns for the growth. Actually all the farmers are using even them, even though after feeding antibiotics some 20 days the have to give. Then only the have to do the harvest. Suppose they do the harvest the earlier stage definitely it will effect the prawns.)
They found some Chloramphinicol and Antibiotics which are given to the prawns. Actually all the farmers are using medicine. After feeding antibiotics you have to wait 20 days. Then only you can do the harvest. Suppose they do the harvest the earlier stage definitely it will effect the prawns.
21:39
These problems dont exist with fish and the wonderfully low prices make seafood an export hit.
21:51
Supported by the Indian government Theva & Co has doubled its turnover in just five years. It even received awards for the best fish and seafood processor in the country. Indias model exporter is doing business in all markets of the rich western world.
22:12
O-Ton
Yes in German. It mainly goes to Germany and the European market, but also to Japan. Thats why we have to label it in different languages. The size and weight also have to be on here. Thats the law in Europe, it all has to be declared, even where it was caught in the Indian Ocean.
22:37
Perfect management for hard Euro.
22:44
O-Ton
You know our Indian economy works like this. We get the inferior, cheaper kinds of fish and the good stuff goes abroad. We need foreign currency thats why we accept the deal.
23:00
Tons of protein for the well-fed gourmets of the west. Different kinds of fish in all shapes and sizes, empty oceans and ruined land. Protein which the local people lack. Boxes and boxes of deep frozen fish for hard currency.
23:45
The port of Hamburg. The fishing boats of global traders fish only by the container load. More than half the seafood imported into the European Union comes from the so called third world, because the sea closer to home is already empty.
24:08
The import regulations are strict and the Europeans control the market. The trade laws are primarily laid out by the rich countries. All in the name of protecting European consumers.
24:21
Every food container is checked by the ports veterinary authorities.
First the temperature of the frozen product is checked. One degree too warm could mean its not safe enough for the European market and the whole container goes back to India.
24:43
The inspectors check thoroughly whether whats on the label is whats inside. The finest fish fillet what looks this good has no problems passing the inspectors.
25:01
The results of the import controls for shrimp are often far less appetising. More than half come from breeding basins even if the label says ocean delicacies.
25:10
In suspicious cases health inspectors keep testing. Particularly Asian shrimp have often been found to be contaminated. They didnt just smell bad they were also found to have dangerous bacteria like cholera. The biggest problem are the residues of hormones and antibiotics.
25:31
They can only be traced with high technical effort and at great expense. But the process is necessary to protect European consumers from these dangerous substances.
25:46
O-Ton
Mielmann
26:16
Because of this health hazard the European authorities even temporarily imposed an import ban on shrimp from China and Thailand.
26:24
The trade in Indian shrimp however, is booming.
26:34
And even scandals about antibiotics in shrimp havent made Europeans lose their appetite for the seafood delicacy.
26:41
With our own fish stocks so diminished, why not turn to more exotic seafood.
26:52
The European consumer has the choice.
27:00
Theres not much left for Indians. Their protein is being stolen and on the land they have left they can no longer grow rice. But Augustino wont give up.
27:13
O-Ton
AUGUSTINO
We cant let them plunder our oceans any longer. The sea and whats in it belongs to us, the traditional fishermen. Of course we can share some of our fish with you, but only if you let us catch it. Otherwise there wont be any left in future.
27:32
Hopefully European consumers will hear the words of the fishermen. Its the only way the exotic delicacies of the Indian Ocean will be available in the long term. And the only hope that Indias fishermen will continue to sing their traditional songs in future.