Technical Efficiency of Fish Catch and Its Socio-Economic Determinants - A Study on Traditional Fishermen of Karimganj District of Assam

This paper has measured the technical efficiency of fish catch and its socio-economic determinants among traditional fishermen dwelling in the neighbourhood of the Shon Beel in Karimganj district of Assam, India. Empirical estimations are on the basis of primary data collected from a sample of fishermen during the peak fishing season of 2014. The study uses a log-linear stochastic production frontier with inefficiency effects where selected non-input socioeconomic variables are hypothized to explain variations in catch efficiency across fishing teams. The study finds that technical efficiency of fish catch at the fishing team level is influenced positively by experience and per –capita household expenditure. Non-fishing income, dependency ratio, and education are found to have a dampening effect on catch efficiency. The study opines that excessive fishing in the Sone Beel in recent years has necessitated greater catch effort to get the same quantity of catch. This is indicative of falling fish stock, premature catch, and consequently falling average size of catch irrespective of species. Key w ords: Fish catch, Technical Efficiency, Inefficiency Effects Model, Stochastic Production Frontier, Non-input Factors. JEL classification: Q 22, C 21.