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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/fishing/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 06 Nov 2026 07:07:16 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<title>When livelihoods adapt to a changing wetland</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Nov 2026 14:19:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Debarun Choudhury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artisanal fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/11/03101613/IMG202308151709312-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=42017</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Fishing, Floods, Lakes, Monsoons, Tourism, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Each year, as winter begins around mid November, Arup Das looks out across the marsh surrounding his home in Dargarbond, one of the many villages around Son Beel, a seasonal wetland in Assam. The land around him was submerged under water just a couple of months ago. Now, as the water recedes, he releases his [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Each year, as winter begins around mid November, Arup Das looks out across the marsh surrounding his home in Dargarbond, one of the many villages around Son Beel, a seasonal wetland in Assam. The land around him was submerged under water just a couple of months ago. Now, as the water recedes, he releases his ducks to forage for snails, aquatic plants, insects, and whatever else the retreating waters leave behind. Son Beel is the largest wetland in Assam with a fluctuating size since it expands during the monsoon and contracts during the dry season. More than 50,000 people depend directly on this wetland for their livelihoods. “A wetland is not simply a body of water,” says Tapati Das, an ecologist heading the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Assam University. “It is a system of inundation and retreat, of channels and marshes, which naturally replenishes a landscape in cycles.” Tapati describes Son Beel as a freshwater wetland with pronounced seasonal changes in water coverage. “During the monsoon, water spreads across the surrounding lowlands. Flooding expands aquatic habitat; recession concentrates organisms in remaining pools and exposes substrates for terrestrial plants and cultivation,” she elaborates. The seasonal shift is not a temporary interruption to Son Beel’s ecology. “It is part of how the wetland functions.” This cycle shapes fish habitats and determines when land will become available for crop cultivation, and also creates feeding grounds for Arup&#8217;s ducks. Back on his farm, ducks of Nageshwari breed are part of an&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Snow trout needs more than reintroduction to survive</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/snow-trout-needs-more-than-reintroduction-to-survive/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/snow-trout-needs-more-than-reintroduction-to-survive/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Oct 2026 16:04:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sameeksha Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rehabilitation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/29132555/Kashmir-Pahalgam-Valley-trout-Apr-2004-00-scaled-e1793261686788-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41948</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and Uttarakhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Conservation, Extinction, Fish, Fishing, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, Lakes, Mountains, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On April 27, 2026, scientists from Kumaun University&#8217;s Department of Zoology released the first batch of snow trout fingerlings into a cage in Naini lake, Nainital, Uttarakhand. The fingerlings were part of a captive-breeding programme to revive the snow trout (Schizothorax richardsonii). Locally called Asela, the native cold-water Himalayan fish has been listed as Vulnerable [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On April 27, 2026, scientists from Kumaun University&#8217;s Department of Zoology released the first batch of snow trout fingerlings into a cage in Naini lake, Nainital, Uttarakhand. The fingerlings were part of a captive-breeding programme to revive the snow trout (Schizothorax richardsonii). Locally called Asela, the native cold-water Himalayan fish has been listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 2010. Considered locally extinct for thirty years, its populations have declined steeply in other lakes of the region. Using Biofloc and recirculating aquaculture system (RAS) technology, scientists lab-bred the fish over two phases before releasing roughly 350 fingerlings into a cage in Naini lake. In June, the initiative expanded to the three other lakes, Bhimtal, Sattal and Naukuchiatal, with smaller cages. However, more than half of the fingerlings died in Naini lake, with similar reports from Bhimtal and other lakes, report the programme staff. The causes remain unknown, but the high mortality raises a larger question: can a reintroduction programme sustain fish in the very lakes that pushed them towards extinction through pollution, habitat destruction and climate change impacts? A dead snow trout fingerling retrieved from the Kumaon University experimental cage installed in Bhimtal Lake on June 24. Image by Sameeksha Sharma. A lake on life support Snow trout once thrived across Kumaon lakes through the 1980s before their populations collapsed due to sewage pollution, dropping oxygen levels and increased competition with exotic species such as the common carp. According to the Directorate of Coldwater Fisheries Research (DCFR), snow&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/snow-trout-needs-more-than-reintroduction-to-survive/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Small-scale fisheries a big threat to rays</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Oct 2026 13:54:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rupsy Khurana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bycatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/19114623/Mobula_mobular_122443097-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41724</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Endangered species, Environment, Environmental Politics, Fish, Fishing, Natural Resources, Oceans, Wildlife, Wildlife Protection Act, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Manta and devil rays, collectively known as mobulids, are large cartilaginous fish known for their broad, wing-like pectoral fins, which help them glide through the water. They often feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans and fish in shallow coastal waters, making them vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets. Roughly 259,000 mobulids are killed each year [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Manta and devil rays, collectively known as mobulids, are large cartilaginous fish known for their broad, wing-like pectoral fins, which help them glide through the water. They often feed on zooplankton and small crustaceans and fish in shallow coastal waters, making them vulnerable to entanglement in fishing nets. Roughly 259,000 mobulids are killed each year in fisheries, globally. Five countries — India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Peru — account for 87% of these deaths, which are mostly attributed to small-scale fisheries. India is the highest contributor, accounting for 28.2% deaths. Limited catch data and inadequate understanding of the impacts of small-scale fisheries make it difficult to assess the status of these species. Increasing fishing pressure puts several ray species at risk of population collapse. To address this gap, a group of researchers tracked mobulid bycatch from fishing boats in Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu, between 2013 and 2023. Their study, published in Conservation Science and Practice, found evidence of declining populations of four species — the spinetail devil ray (Mobula mobular), the sicklefin devil ray (Mobula tarapacana), the oceanic manta ray (Mobula birostris), and the bentfin devil ray (Mobula thurstoni). The study notes that these population declines occurred alongside increasing fishing pressure, suggesting overfishing as the likely cause. “Counting the number of mobula rays caught is always confusing,” said Divya Karnad, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and an author of the study. Because the research team wanted to track real changes in the population, they divided the catch&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/small-scale-fisheries-a-big-threat-to-rays/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The emotional cost of displacement</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-emotional-cost-of-displacement/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-emotional-cost-of-displacement/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Oct 2026 12:01:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Arathi M.R.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Displacement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mental health]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/09093557/7-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41519</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arabian Sea and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Coast, Coastal erosion, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Fishing, Floods, Health impacts, Human Rights, Oceans, People, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“This was our home,” says 43-year-old Baby Titus, pointing to a green-painted house secured with a rusty lock. Waves were repeatedly crashing on the right side of the house. “The sea kept entering and receding, and it caused a short circuit inside the house. You would get an electric shock wherever you touched.” A road [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“This was our home,” says 43-year-old Baby Titus, pointing to a green-painted house secured with a rusty lock. Waves were repeatedly crashing on the right side of the house. “The sea kept entering and receding, and it caused a short circuit inside the house. You would get an electric shock wherever you touched.” A road past Kollamkode Church in Thiruvananthapuram leads to the Arabian Sea, where rows of houses like Titus’s line the shoreline. Many houses here have been engulfed by the sea. The remains of those houses, along with the granite boulders dumped into the sea for a seawall, are constantly battered by the waves, each surge crashing against them with a frightening roar. Kulathoor grama panchayat is the southernmost grama panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district in Kerala. Its coastal wards, including Pozhipallivilakam, Mullassery, Kollamkode, Paruthiyoor, Pozhikara Beach and Pozhiyoor, have been facing severe coastal erosion for decades. Many of these wards have only seven or eight rows of houses remaining, out of about 100. Of those that remain, only a few are inhabited. Fearing the house was structurally precarious and hence, unsafe, Baby Titus now lives in a rented two-bedroom house next door with her husband and three adolescent children, paying ₹2,000 a month. The house’s owners have moved elsewhere due to flooding. Baby Titus spends the night listening anxiously to the sound of every crashing wave, wondering whether the sea is coming in — a reality shared by the families living along the coast. Baby Titus&#8217;s coastal home&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-emotional-cost-of-displacement/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>India’s deep-sea fishing dreams are struggling to stay afloat</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/indias-deep-sea-fishing-dreams-are-struggling-to-stay-afloat/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/indias-deep-sea-fishing-dreams-are-struggling-to-stay-afloat/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Oct 2026 13:12:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Supriya Vohra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artisanal fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deep seas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oceans]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/07235506/LEO_0725-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41448</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Deep Sea Dreams]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and South Asia]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish and Fishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[This story is the first in a series on deep-sea fishing in India, produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network. The first story examines India’s Deep Sea Fishing Vessel Scheme and finds a mismatch between its ambitions and the realities of fishing. Shaju Antony, a traditional fisherman from Kerala, was encouraged by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[This story is the first in a series on deep-sea fishing in India, produced in partnership with the Pulitzer Center’s Ocean Reporting Network. The first story examines India’s Deep Sea Fishing Vessel Scheme and finds a mismatch between its ambitions and the realities of fishing. Shaju Antony, a traditional fisherman from Kerala, was encouraged by his parish priest to apply for a government scheme in 2020 that provided financial assistance for deep-sea fishing vessels. He gathered about ₹7.2 million for his part of the contribution for a boat under the Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY), a central government scheme. He received the boat three years later, in December 2023. But the boat started showing signs of trouble as soon as he started using it. Antony and his crew spent another ₹3 million repairing the boat. Finally, after months of sending petitions to the state government to look into the matter, he gave up. “If they are building boats for fishermen, why aren’t they consulting the fishermen?” he asks. About 1,500 kilometres further up, on the west coast of India, Kiran Koli, a traditional fisherman and leader of a fishers&#8217; union from Maharashtra, had also applied for the same government scheme in 2017-18 when it was under the government’s Neel Kranti (Blue Revolution) Mission. In 2020, when the scheme became Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana, Koli was the first person on the list, he says. In June 2026, nearly a decade after he first applied, Koli received his boat. But&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/indias-deep-sea-fishing-dreams-are-struggling-to-stay-afloat/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Isolated island tribes should choose their own destinies, says Manish Chandi [Interview]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Sep 2026 13:12:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Latoya Abulu]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tribal communities]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/26224219/q.-Shompen-2-of-the-27th-Km-EW-road-1997-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41246</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andaman and Nicobar Islands]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Community based conservation, Conservation, Fish, Fishing, Forests, Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous Rights, Islands, Mangroves, Oceans, and Tribes]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From above, the North Sentinel Island tribal reserve in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is a thick, unbroken patch of dark green — starkly surrounded by the shimmering coastal blue waters of its buffer zone. On these shores, Sentinelese people, who live in voluntary isolation protected by a strict government no-contact policy, spear fish, hunt [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From above, the North Sentinel Island tribal reserve in India’s Andaman and Nicobar archipelago is a thick, unbroken patch of dark green — starkly surrounded by the shimmering coastal blue waters of its buffer zone. On these shores, Sentinelese people, who live in voluntary isolation protected by a strict government no-contact policy, spear fish, hunt turtles and collect mollusks in shallow reefs surrounded by mangroves. The coastal reefs are intact ecosystems rich in fish life, say biologists. “I have seen them [groups of men, women and children] foraging and collecting these food resources during low tide on several occasions,” says Manish Chandi, a tribal expert who has watched the island from afar. “The Sentinelese are aware of these as nutritious and sparsely available resources in such [mangrove] habitats, which are very few on and around the island.” Like other tribal reserves on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, in the southeast of mainland India, North Sentinel Island is a biodiversity hotspot; and, like other tribal reserves, the isolated people who live there have attracted influencers and misunderstandings, says Chandi. “Curiosity and ignorance regarding the islanders is quite high and understandably so amongst outsiders and [government] bureaucrats who have little association with the islands,” he tells Mongabay in an interview. The giant trees along the North Sentinel Island coastline are its first natural defence against storms and hold its coastal soil together. The shore is lined with sandy beaches and rocky shores, while the foreshore is dotted with coral reefs and mangroves&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/isolated-island-tribes-should-choose-their-own-destinies-says-manish-chandi-interview/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>El Niño, the monsoon, and the confusion of Kerala&#8217;s fishers [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-the-monsoon-and-the-confusion-of-keralas-fishers-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-the-monsoon-and-the-confusion-of-keralas-fishers-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Sep 2026 13:00:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[John Kurien]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[arabian sea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[sea]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/24232735/Kochi_Fishing_Fishermen_Kerala_India-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41191</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Coast, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Fish, Fishing, Monsoons, Oceans, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The phone call came on a humid July afternoon. It was a fisherman from Marianad, a village in Thiruvananthapuram district where I first began my work with fishers in 1973. He was calling to share what he was seeing at sea. The sea had been rough, he said. Fishers were still going out, despite the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The phone call came on a humid July afternoon. It was a fisherman from Marianad, a village in Thiruvananthapuram district where I first began my work with fishers in 1973. He was calling to share what he was seeing at sea. The sea had been rough, he said. Fishers were still going out, despite the risk, because there were plenty of fish in the deeper waters. The turbid water was working in their favour too — fish were getting caught in the nets more easily. Supply on the shore was short, so prices were high. Earnings were good. But something puzzled him. The sea felt cooler now than he remembered it in earlier Julys. That was not what he expected. It was not what I expected either. The name that came from fishers To make sense of it, it helps to start with a story from the other side of the world. Off the coast of Peru and Ecuador, fishers noticed that every few years, around Christmas, the ocean would turn unusually warm, and the fish they depended on would vanish. They named the phenomenon after the season it arrived in — El Niño or &#8220;the little boy,&#8221; referring to &#8220;the Christ Child&#8221;. A name given by fishers has since become the scientific term for one of the most powerful climate patterns on Earth. El Niño is not a local event. When the surface of the tropical Pacific warms, the effects ripple outward across the planet — shifting rainfall belts,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-the-monsoon-and-the-confusion-of-keralas-fishers-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>A world of bristles beneath the waves</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-world-of-bristles-beneath-the-waves/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-world-of-bristles-beneath-the-waves/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Sep 2026 17:06:45 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shrimp]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shrimp farming]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/01143225/Amphinomids-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40603</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Indian Ocean]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Polychaete worms are among the most diverse groups of marine invertebrates on Earth. According to the World Register of Marine Species, approximately 13,148 valid polychaete species are currently recognised. Some researchers even estimate that this number could rise to 16,700 by the end of the century. “They (polychaete worms) occur in almost all marine habitats, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Polychaete worms are among the most diverse groups of marine invertebrates on Earth. According to the World Register of Marine Species, approximately 13,148 valid polychaete species are currently recognised. Some researchers even estimate that this number could rise to 16,700 by the end of the century. “They (polychaete worms) occur in almost all marine habitats, from estuaries, mangroves, sandy shores, coral reefs, and seagrass beds to the continental shelf and deeper waters,” said Sanitha Sivadas, a marine benthic ecology expert and Scientist E at the National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Visakhapatnam. “A small percentage of polychaete species have even adapted to low-salinity and inland water environments,” Sivadas added. Polychaeta, Greek for “having much hair”, refers to the bristles on the fleshy, leg-like protrusions on their body, which also lends them their other name, bristle worms. These worms range in size from a few millimetres to more than a metre long and come in colours ranging from dull brown to neon yellow and orange-red. In India, despite their vast diversity, polychaete worms remain understudied. Mongabay-India spoke to polychaete experts and taxonomists to learn more about the bright, bristly worms of our seas. India’s underexplored diversity With its extensive coastline and diverse coastal and marine habitats, India is home to a huge diversity of polychaete worms, said Sivadas. “[But] the current recorded [polychaete] diversity represents only a part of the actual diversity in Indian waters,” she added. Pierre Fauvel laid the foundation for documenting India’s polychaete fauna. The well-known French polychaetologist’s&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/a-world-of-bristles-beneath-the-waves/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Why do changes in the Indian Ocean matter? [Explainer]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Aug 2026 12:33:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Bharti Dharapuram]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[environmental history]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[geology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural history]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/20110746/pexels-batagov-29813525-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40293</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections, Environment Explained, and Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Science, Coast, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Fishing, Global Warming, Monsoons, Oceans, Overfishing, and Sea Level Rise]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the dynamic Indian Ocean, change is perpetual, as currents, environment, climate and biodiversity interact across multiple scales, even as global warming reshapes these interactions. The Indian Ocean is geologically the youngest of the world’s major oceans, sharing its origin with the Himalayas and is the third largest ocean in the world. Its dynamic nature, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the dynamic Indian Ocean, change is perpetual, as currents, environment, climate and biodiversity interact across multiple scales, even as global warming reshapes these interactions. The Indian Ocean is geologically the youngest of the world’s major oceans, sharing its origin with the Himalayas and is the third largest ocean in the world. Its dynamic nature, with its environment changing in space and time at various scales, impacts the region’s climate, headlined by the monsoon, and its rich biodiversity. The ocean is also the fastest warming tropical oceans in the world, threatening an increase in extreme climatic events and the decline of marine ecosystems that would impact a third of the global human population dependent on it for lives and livelihoods. How did the Indian Ocean take shape? The Indian Ocean originated from the ancient Tethys Sea, once a seaway linking the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean of today. This seaway closed gradually when a drifting Indian plate collided with the Asian landmass giving rise to the Himalayas, and the African and the Arabian plates closed the gap with Europe. Once a biodiversity hotspot teeming with marine species, particularly in its shallow tropical waters, the closure of this ancient sea led to widespread extinctions, shifting the centre of marine diversity eastwards to Southeast Asia. The closure also had a significant impact on land animals. One of the earliest known whale fossils, Himalayacetus (over 52 million years old), comes from oyster-rich deposits of the Tethys Sea in the foothills of the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/why-do-changes-in-the-indian-ocean-matter-explainer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Scientists identify new deep-sea shark species from India’s southwest coast</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/scientists-identify-new-deep-sea-shark-species-from-indias-southwest-coast/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/scientists-identify-new-deep-sea-shark-species-from-indias-southwest-coast/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Aug 2026 12:15:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ananya Singh]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bycatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[deep seas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[trawling]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/04130134/A_drona_holotype_image_male-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39826</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species and Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Ecology, Fish, Fishing, New species, Oceans, Overfishing, Positive Environmental, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A deep-sea catshark caught off Kerala’s coast has now been identified as a new species, highlighting the need for better understanding of deep-sea biodiversity. In 2022, a team of scientists sifting through the bycatch of deep-sea shrimp trawlers came across a black, slender-bodied fish with an angular, pointed snout and striking white eyes. This fish [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A deep-sea catshark caught off Kerala’s coast has now been identified as a new species, highlighting the need for better understanding of deep-sea biodiversity. In 2022, a team of scientists sifting through the bycatch of deep-sea shrimp trawlers came across a black, slender-bodied fish with an angular, pointed snout and striking white eyes. This fish had been caught at a depth of 400-650 metres at Kollam slope, a continental slope in the southeastern Arabian Sea off Kerala’s coast, designated as an Important Shark and Ray Area. The team confirmed that it belonged to the genus Apristurus — a group of deepwater catsharks — and brought it back to the lab for further examination. Two years later, the researchers collected three additional specimens at Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour, Kollam, during monitoring surveys. Through morphological and molecular analyses of the four specimens, the team found that this species was distinct from others within the genus and described it as a new species of deepwater catshark (Apristurus drona) in their paper published earlier this year in Zootaxa. The objective of the study, part of a larger project under the Ministry of Earth Sciences’ Deep Ocean Mission, was to explore the diversity of deep-sea chondrichthyans which are cartilaginous fish such as sharks (Selachimorpha), rays and skates (Batoidea) and chimaeras (Holocephali) and resolve some of the taxonomic confusion around them. “From biodiversity inventory surveys, we have realised that our understanding of deep-sea biodiversity is limited,” said Bineesh K.K., the study’s corresponding author and a scientist at&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/scientists-identify-new-deep-sea-shark-species-from-indias-southwest-coast/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A fertile landscape at the crossroads of ecology and development [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Aug 2026 15:47:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solution]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/03125249/4670487709_c95df8f47d_4k-scaled-e1785742237892-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39805</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change Mitigation, Fish, Fishing, Floods, Lakes, Monsoons, Pollution, Sea Level Rise, Waste management, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Kuttanad region of Kerala, often celebrated as the &#8220;rice bowl&#8221; of the state, is a landscape of profound beauty and immense ecological significance. Yet, its existence is a delicate balancing act, a testament to both the generative power of nature and the often-destructive ambition of human intervention. This intricate wetland system, a mosaic of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Kuttanad region of Kerala, often celebrated as the &#8220;rice bowl&#8221; of the state, is a landscape of profound beauty and immense ecological significance. Yet, its existence is a delicate balancing act, a testament to both the generative power of nature and the often-destructive ambition of human intervention. This intricate wetland system, a mosaic of lush green paddy fields, labyrinthine canals, and the vast expanse of Vembanad lake, is a geographical marvel that is simultaneously a victim of its own fertility and the relentless pressures of modernisation. Kuttanad is world-renowned for its below-sea-level paddy cultivation and unique brackish-water ecosystem. Alongside this remarkable agricultural practice, the region&#8217;s brackish-water ecosystem supports a thriving inland fisheries sector, with the Vembanad estuary serving as a critical nursery for numerous fish and prawn species. Together, these intertwined livelihoods — agriculture and fisheries — form the economic and cultural backbone of Kuttanad. So distinctive and globally significant is this integrated farming system that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has recognised it as a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System (GIAHS), placing Kuttanad alongside other iconic agricultural landscapes like the terraced rice fields of the Philippines and the saffron fields of Kashmir. Geologically speaking, Kuttanad is a young and dynamic landscape. In the distant past, this region formed part of the shallow coastal shelf of the Arabian Sea. Over millennia, the powerful rivers originating in the Western Ghats, chiefly the Pampa, Achankovil, and Manimala, carried massive loads of silt and alluvium from the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/a-fertile-landscape-at-the-crossroads-of-ecology-and-development-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>West coast fishers confront ‘ghost gear’ problem</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/west-coast-fishers-confront-ghost-gear-problem/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/west-coast-fishers-confront-ghost-gear-problem/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Jul 2026 10:47:10 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Robert Bociaga]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ghost nets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/23095213/IMG_5513-2048x1536-1-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39539</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Oceans, and Water Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In the early light at Thoppumpady fishing harbour in the city of Kochi, coils of blue and green nylon nets lay heaped on the concrete docks, stiff with salt after a long night at sea. Many had been patched and repatched so often that they were barely holding together. Nets too damaged to mend are [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In the early light at Thoppumpady fishing harbour in the city of Kochi, coils of blue and green nylon nets lay heaped on the concrete docks, stiff with salt after a long night at sea. Many had been patched and repatched so often that they were barely holding together. Nets too damaged to mend are often cut loose offshore. Once they sink, few are ever recovered. Across India’s west coast, lost fishing gear known as “ghost gear” has become a significant source of marine pollution. Nets vanish whole or in fragments, slipping into the waters of the Arabian Sea where they continue trapping fish, turtles and other marine life long after fishers abandon them. India operates one of the world’s largest marine fishing sectors, supporting an estimated 14.5 million livelihoods along more than 7,500 kilometres of coastline. While national estimates are scarce, a 2022 study in the southwestern state of Kerala, where Kochi is located, found that fishers lost, abandoned or discarded about 21% of their fishing gear annually. That’s more than 10 times the global average of 1.82% estimated by another study, which highlights the scale of material entering India’s marine environment. Despite growing concern among researchers and conservationists, India lacks a systematic way to track, retrieve or recycle lost fishing gear, as well as accessible mechanisms to collect and safely dispose of end-of-life nets and other equipment before they are discarded at sea. The government regulates fisheries tightly in many respects — from mesh sizes and seasonal bans&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/west-coast-fishers-confront-ghost-gear-problem/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Dolphins tread the waters between tourist boats and fishing nets</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Jul 2026 16:03:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/21145702/Researchers-found-that-dolphins-were-more-likely-to-avoid-tourist-boats-as-they-approached-more-closely-or-surrounded-them-in-larger-numbers.-Photo-Credit-Imran-Samad-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39516</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas and Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Fish, Fishing, Mammals, Oceans, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For Indian Ocean humpback dolphins off Goa&#8217;s coast, fishing nets may offer feeding opportunities, while tourist boats often bring disturbance. A recent study, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, examined how the endangered species balances these competing responses when tourism and fisheries overlap in the same waters. “Tourism and fisheries are among the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For Indian Ocean humpback dolphins off Goa&#8217;s coast, fishing nets may offer feeding opportunities, while tourist boats often bring disturbance. A recent study, published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, examined how the endangered species balances these competing responses when tourism and fisheries overlap in the same waters. “Tourism and fisheries are among the most common human activities in the habitats used by these dolphins. We were interested in how dolphins respond when they have to balance disturbance from boats with the opportunity to access food resources,” says Imran Samad, corresponding author of the study and a scholar at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science. Watching dolphins from above The study was carried out in north Goa between October 2023 and April 2024. The region supports relatively high densities of Indian Ocean humpback dolphins and also experiences intensive fishing and dolphin-watching tourism activity. Researchers monitored dolphin groups from elevated coastal vantage points. Once dolphins were sighted, they followed the animals using a drone, flown at a height of 60-100 metres above sea level. “Traditionally, dolphin behaviour is studied either from the shore using theodolites (monoculars used to estimate dolphin positions) or from boats. We used drones, which allowed us to observe animals from above and follow individuals and groups without directly disturbing them,&#8221; says Samad. Over six months, the team conducted 90 focal follows of dolphin groups and recorded 19 hours of dolphin footage. The footage was then analysed using machine-learning tools that tracked dolphin movements&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/dolphins-tread-the-waters-between-tourist-boats-and-fishing-nets/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Important shark, ray habitats in India are still unprotected</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/important-shark-ray-habitats-in-india-are-still-unprotected/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/important-shark-ray-habitats-in-india-are-still-unprotected/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>20 Jul 2026 09:30:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rupsy Khurana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/17171255/Scalloped_Hammerhead_Shark_Sphyrna_Lewini_226845659-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39423</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas, Hewing The Regulatory Tree, and Making Waves]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Environmental Law, and Fishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[For more than 400 million years, sharks have survived on Earth, outlasting dramatic climatic shifts and multiple mass extinctions. But since 1970, the global abundance of sharks and rays has reduced by 71%. During the same period, fishing pressure doubled, and shark and ray catches tripled. Unabated extraction and the destruction of key nursery and [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[For more than 400 million years, sharks have survived on Earth, outlasting dramatic climatic shifts and multiple mass extinctions. But since 1970, the global abundance of sharks and rays has reduced by 71%. During the same period, fishing pressure doubled, and shark and ray catches tripled. Unabated extraction and the destruction of key nursery and feeding grounds have pushed many populations of sharks and their relatives, rays and chimaeras, into steep decline. Today, more than three-quarters of these species are threatened with extinction. According to a 2021 study, India is the world&#8217;s second-largest shark-fishing nation, occupying a critical position in the future of shark and ray conservation. Yet many of the country&#8217;s existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) exclude key habitats of these species, which can limit the effectiveness of current conservation efforts, finds a new study, published in Biodiversity and Conservation. “This study highlights that new efforts are needed to ensure that sharks and rays also receive adequate protection, just like sea turtles, dolphins, and so on,” says Divya Karnad, a senior lecturer at the University of Exeter and an author of the study. Scalloped hammerhead sharks at Sasson Dock, Mumbai. Image by Raju Kasambe via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Mismatched conservation targets and reality The study maps Important Shark and Ray Areas (ISRA), a framework by the IUCN Species Survival Commission Shark Specialist Group, to identify habitats essential for the survival of sharks, rays, and chimaeras. ISRAs are discrete areas where these species occur regularly or predictably and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/important-shark-ray-habitats-in-india-are-still-unprotected/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Fishers, naturalists worry about the impacts of turning a coastal wetland into a reservoir</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jul 2026 17:18:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Smitha T.K.]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban wetlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Wetlands]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/07/13161843/4-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39239</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Birds, Coast, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Environment, Fishing, Floods, Habitat Loss, Lakes, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Narayanan R. stood on the muddy bund of the Great Salt Lake, watching a group of flamingoes pick their way across the shallows. He remembered standing in the same spot as a 10-year-old, knee-deep in water — the day his father showed him how to fish. &#8220;The flamingoes may not come next season,” he said. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Narayanan R. stood on the muddy bund of the Great Salt Lake, watching a group of flamingoes pick their way across the shallows. He remembered standing in the same spot as a 10-year-old, knee-deep in water — the day his father showed him how to fish. &#8220;The flamingoes may not come next season,” he said. “These pools will dry soon. A few hundred metres away, Gowriamma waded through the shallow waters of the lake, her fingers sifting through the mud for shrimp. “Everything depends on these small pools. We know this water through the mud and the thorns.&#8221; Located between Nemmeli and Kovalam in Chennai, the Great Salt Lake also known as Kovalam-Nemmeli backwaters, is a coastal wetland that spans 5,000 acres. The Tamil Nadu government plans to convert this coastal wetland into Chennai’s sixth drinking water reservoir: the Mamallan reservoir. Chennai currently supplies between 700 and 800 million litres per day (MLD) of water. The demand already exceeds 1,100 MLD and is projected to cross 2,500 MLD by 2035, according to the project&#8217;s environmental impact assessment (EIA). The Mamallan reservoir aims to supply 170 MLD for the city’s needs. The reservoir is designed to store 1.65 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) in a single filling and an annual storage of 2.25 TMC. However, for Narayanan, Gowriamma and many fishing families in the area, losing the Great Salt Lake means losing the only world they have ever known. “Who are we to change the contours drawn by nature?” Narayanan asks.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/07/a-coastal-wetland-could-soon-become-a-reservoir-to-meet-a-citys-water-demand/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Artificial light at night alters foraging behaviour in kites</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/artificial-light-at-night-is-altering-foraging-behaviour-in-kites/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/artificial-light-at-night-is-altering-foraging-behaviour-in-kites/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Jun 2026 13:30:49 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[light pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban biodiversity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban birds]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/06/02115608/52735549020_6404c85225_4k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38468</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Birds, Cities and Towns, Ecology, Environment, Fishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Polycarp Joseph has been making annual visits to the Shaktikulangara and Vaddy fishing harbours in Kerala’s Kollam district, since 2019, to track birds. On his visits, Joseph, who is a district head for the Kerala State Annual Heronry Survey, an annual citizen-science monitoring project by the Kerala Bird Monitoring Network (KBM), counts active nests of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Polycarp Joseph has been making annual visits to the Shaktikulangara and Vaddy fishing harbours in Kerala’s Kollam district, since 2019, to track birds. On his visits, Joseph, who is a district head for the Kerala State Annual Heronry Survey, an annual citizen-science monitoring project by the Kerala Bird Monitoring Network (KBM), counts active nests of the little egret (Egretta garzetta). As part of this monitoring effort, he has visited both harbours after dark to study the effects of nighttime light pollution on these birds. It was on one such visit that he came across a few brahminy kites (Haliastur indus), a “strictly” diurnal (active during the day) raptor with a distinctive bright white head and rump, scavenging late at night at the Vaddy fishing harbour in Kollam. If it were late evening hours, he might have assumed that the kites were returning home or making one last foraging attempt, said Joseph. “The harbour [at night] is like a floodlit stadium, with LED lights in the auction yard and on boats, which allows these kites to perceive prey availability,” he added. On February 5, 2024, from 11 PM until 12:30 AM, Joseph recorded three brahminy kites flying in short circles above the harbour, diving to scoop fish from boats, and snatching discards from fishers. On subsequent nights, too, he observed one or two kites scavenging between 9 and 11 PM. This observation was recorded in a recent paper by a research team, including Joseph. According to the authors, this is the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/06/artificial-light-at-night-is-altering-foraging-behaviour-in-kites/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Plastic litter and ghost nets threaten olive ridley hatchlings</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/plastic-litter-and-ghost-nets-threaten-olive-ridley-hatchlings/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/plastic-litter-and-ghost-nets-threaten-olive-ridley-hatchlings/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Apr 2026 12:26:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[breeding grounds]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[genetics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ghost nets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine debris]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[olive ridleys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[plastic pollution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtle]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/04/27101831/Image-3_Riddle_of_Ridleys-scaled-e1777265683766-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37874</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Odisha]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Coast, Coastal erosion, Conservation, Environment, Fishing, Oceans, Plastic, Pollution, Sea Level Rise, Waste management, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Rushikulya rookery in Odisha’s Ganjam district is among the most important turtle rookeries in the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) converge here to lay eggs in a synchronous mass nesting event or arribada, with almost 700,000 olive ridleys coming ashore to lay eggs in February 2025 alone. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Rushikulya rookery in Odisha’s Ganjam district is among the most important turtle rookeries in the world. Every year, hundreds of thousands of olive ridley sea turtles (Lepidochelys olivacea) converge here to lay eggs in a synchronous mass nesting event or arribada, with almost 700,000 olive ridleys coming ashore to lay eggs in February 2025 alone. However, plastic pollution and its associated problems plague this important 10-km stretch along India’s eastern coastline. A recent study by the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Goa, reports significant presence of plastic waste and discarded fishing nets across four nesting beaches at Rushikulya, reflecting a global crisis of ever-increasing marine plastic pollution. Nesting among plastics Surveys across four nesting beaches — New Podampetta, Purunabandha, Siddhantnagar, and Prayagi — during the peak 2025 nesting season recorded more than 1,100 litter items, over 85% of which were plastic. The presence of plastic bottles, wrappers, and bags indicated both land-based runoff and direct human activity as key sources. Fisheries-related debris, including discarded nets, thermocol, and nylon rope fragments — collectively termed as ‘ghost gear’ or abandoned, lost, and otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) — made up 41% of all recorded litter across all sites. Fishing nets alone made up around 32% of the recorded litter at New Podampetta, while thermocol too contributed a little over 31% at Siddhantnagar. Olive ridley turtles being released to the sea at Visakhapatnam. Representative image by Drashokk via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Concerningly, standardised environmental quality indices like the Plastic Abundance Index&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/04/plastic-litter-and-ghost-nets-threaten-olive-ridley-hatchlings/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Experts divided over reintroducing captive-bred gharials in rivers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Feb 2026 17:16:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rajeev Tyagi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Aquatic life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captive animals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[captive breeding]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crocodiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[gharials]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/04152632/Gharial-release-scaled-e1770199257557-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36736</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Endangered species, Extinction, Fishing, Mining, Reptiles, Rivers, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In February 2024, 37 juvenile gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were transported 550 kilometres from the Rasikbeel Mini Zoo to the banks of the Ganga River in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The gharials, which were born out of a captive breeding programme in late 2021, were sheltered individually in ventilated PVC pipes. During the 15-hour overnight trip, forest [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In February 2024, 37 juvenile gharials (Gavialis gangeticus) were transported 550 kilometres from the Rasikbeel Mini Zoo to the banks of the Ganga River in Murshidabad, West Bengal. The gharials, which were born out of a captive breeding programme in late 2021, were sheltered individually in ventilated PVC pipes. During the 15-hour overnight trip, forest staff sprinkled the animals with water every one to two hours to maintain hydration. For the species, it was a return to a historic home. For the conservationists present, it was a moment of &#8220;quiet satisfaction&#8221;, Shahnawaz Khan, the Lead for Aquatic Habitats at WWF-India, said in an email response to Mongabay-India. Khan recalls that there was concern about the animals&#8217; condition after the long journey and the team watched with relief as the gharials, “observed to be alert, responsive, and in good health”, paused briefly before crawling into the river. The reintroduction project was a coordinated effort between the West Bengal Forest Directorate and WWF-India. A recent report, published in the journal Reptiles &amp; Amphibians, outlines the project aimed at enhancing the likelihood of long-term survival of the gharials in the lower Ganga Basin. The gharial’s population has significantly declined over the years due to loss from water impoundment, sand mining, hunting, and intensive fishing. Only about 650 adult gharials remain in the wild. A gharial spotted in the Chambal river, where 77-80% of the global adult gharial population is found. Its population has significantly declined over the years due to loss from water&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/experts-divided-over-reintroducing-captive-bred-gharials-in-rivers/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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						<item>
					<title>Study explores social media as a tool to track shark and ray consumption</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/study-explores-social-media-as-a-tool-to-track-shark-and-ray-consumption/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/study-explores-social-media-as-a-tool-to-track-shark-and-ray-consumption/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Feb 2026 16:55:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/02190409/Rhizoprionodon_acutus_mangalore2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36701</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Fish, Fishing, Food, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was March 2020, and the COVID-19 lockdown had begun. Divya Karnad and her colleagues at InSeason Fish — an initiative promoting sustainable seafood consumption in India — could no longer approach fish landing centres or seafood restaurants for their work. They turn to social media and to their surprise, unearth a plethora of insightful [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was March 2020, and the COVID-19 lockdown had begun. Divya Karnad and her colleagues at InSeason Fish — an initiative promoting sustainable seafood consumption in India — could no longer approach fish landing centres or seafood restaurants for their work. They turn to social media and to their surprise, unearth a plethora of insightful photos of sharks and rays along India’s coastline. Posts from tourists, seafood consumers, fishers and others revealed a host of marine species — many that were on the IUCN Red List, and some that rarely even found adequate representation in existing scientific research. “The lockdown led to this sudden boom of photographs being posted from fish markets and fish landing sites. There were selfies with baby sharks in the background, or photos of menus and dishes from restaurants,” says Karnad, who has been researching marine fisheries since 2010 and is a co-founder of InSeason Fish. Karnad is now based at the University of Exeter in the U.K. The team analysed 1,293 elasmobranch-related posts, from six social media and citizen science platforms, uploaded from all coastal states. The findings were published in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems, in November 2025. Elasmobranchs are a subclass of cartilaginous fish (Chondrichthyes) which include sharks and rays. The paper suggests that digital media can fill several gaps left by research to better understand not only elasmobranchs, but also the larger class of cartilaginous fish in India. Some of these gaps include a focus on charismatic species (such as the whale&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/study-explores-social-media-as-a-tool-to-track-shark-and-ray-consumption/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>A Lakshadweep island’s strategic value worries conservationists and fishers</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/a-lakshadweep-islands-strategic-value-worries-conservationists-and-fishers/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/a-lakshadweep-islands-strategic-value-worries-conservationists-and-fishers/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jan 2026 21:19:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Max Martin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/27120512/A_catch_of_groupers-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36636</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Lakshadweep]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Coral Reefs, Ecology, Fish, Fishing, Islands, Land Rights, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“A thousand leopards in a forest patch the size of a football field!” This is how marine conservation researchers Rucha Karkarey and Vardhan Patankar described unusually large shoals of squaretail groupers (Plectropomus areolatus) gliding along the coral reefs, off the shores of Bitra, an island in northern Lakshadweep. In 2010, Karkarey’s team recorded densities of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“A thousand leopards in a forest patch the size of a football field!” This is how marine conservation researchers Rucha Karkarey and Vardhan Patankar described unusually large shoals of squaretail groupers (Plectropomus areolatus) gliding along the coral reefs, off the shores of Bitra, an island in northern Lakshadweep. In 2010, Karkarey’s team recorded densities of over 3,600 fish in over four hectares — an area roughly the size of five football fields. “This was between two and six times higher than any density previously recorded across south-east Asia,” recalled Karkarey, who is now a senior research associate at Lancaster University, U.K. Geographically, the Union Territory of Lakshadweep comprises 12 atolls, three reefs, and five submerged banks. Out of a total of 36 islands in the Lakshadweep archipelago, with a total area of 32 sq km, only ten are inhabited. Among them Bitra is a tiny shark-fin-shaped strip of sand that is home to just about 271 people. The island is 570 metres in length and 280 m at its widest point, with an area of 0.105 sq km. The smallest inhabited island of the archipelago with its ecologically-sensitive marine landscape, Bitra is now under spotlight. The Lakshadweep administration is planning to take over the island, because of its strategic location, its national security relevance, and the inherent logistical and administrative challenges associated with civilian habitation. The islanders however, say this is “land-grabbing” for tourism, trade and development, especially in the post-COVID-19 tourism boom. “The islanders have been fishing here for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/a-lakshadweep-islands-strategic-value-worries-conservationists-and-fishers/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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