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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
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					<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]]>
						</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>
														</item>
						<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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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<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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					<title>Traditional fishers turn rescuers in a win for declining marine wildlife [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/traditional-fishers-turn-rescuers-in-a-win-for-declining-marine-wildlife-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/traditional-fishers-turn-rescuers-in-a-win-for-declining-marine-wildlife-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jan 2026 14:38:21 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[I. SanthanamariM. Fathima HannaM. Soubadra DevyMaria Antony P.Teresa Scholastica ThomasVinod M. Kumar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bycatch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dolphins]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[turtles]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://india.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36616</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Fish, Fishing, Human Wildlife Conflict, Hunting, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Neither turtles nor dolphins harm us when we rescue them. Many people from our village have saved them before. They cooperate with us and do not cause any trouble,” says Sheenik Abdullah, a 23-year-old fisher-rescuer from Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. Fishers along the Gulf of Mannar coast in southern Tamil Nadu once caught [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Neither turtles nor dolphins harm us when we rescue them. Many people from our village have saved them before. They cooperate with us and do not cause any trouble,” says Sheenik Abdullah, a 23-year-old fisher-rescuer from Valinokkam in Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu. Fishers along the Gulf of Mannar coast in southern Tamil Nadu once caught marine animals, including the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin (Sousa chinensis), hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata), loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), green turtle (Chelonia mydas), olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), and dugong (Dugong dugon). Today, many of them are recognised for protecting the very species they once pursued. This shift reflects a gradual reworking of human-marine relations, shaped by experiential learning at sea, locally grounded ecological knowledge, and state-led conservation incentives. In villages such as Keelamundal, Valinokam, and Mel Mundal, conservation is enacted through everyday decisions made on the shore and during fishing trips. A changing tide The waves crash loudly against the shore of Keelamundal as seagulls, known locally as kadal kaka, hover low above the surf. Fishing nets lie spread across the sand, mended by men and women who do not pause their work even as rain falls. Boats returning from the morning’s fishing trip are pulled ashore using tractors, while ice-filled storage boxes are opened to sort the catch ahead of evening sales. Fishers sort through the day’s catch in Keelamundal. The catch is carefully removed from the nets and collected into baskets and crates. Image by Vinod Kumar. For generations, the hunting of marine animals&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/traditional-fishers-turn-rescuers-in-a-win-for-declining-marine-wildlife-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s fisheries budget misses the ocean for the fish [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/indias-latest-fisheries-budget-misses-the-ocean-for-the-fish-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/indias-latest-fisheries-budget-misses-the-ocean-for-the-fish-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Dec 2025 12:30:48 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ajay Sawant]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fish population]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></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/30/2025/12/22115040/7168726622_499a2276df_o-e1766384830475-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36178</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fish, Fishing, Mangroves, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India’s 2025-26 budget positions the country as a global seafood market with more than ₹2,700 crores (₹27 billion) allocated to fisheries in the budget released earlier this year. The government also aims to double seafood exports from ₹600 billion to ₹1 trillion by 2029. The ambition is that deep-sea fishing vessels, tuna clusters in the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India’s 2025-26 budget positions the country as a global seafood market with more than ₹2,700 crores (₹27 billion) allocated to fisheries in the budget released earlier this year. The government also aims to double seafood exports from ₹600 billion to ₹1 trillion by 2029. The ambition is that deep-sea fishing vessels, tuna clusters in the Andaman Islands, pole-and-line tuna in Lakshadweep, seaweed farming, and women’s self-help groups will drive the idea of a sustainable blue economy and inclusive growth. But as we look through critical lenses, an important question that arises is whether mangroves, seagrass meadows, and coral reefs show up in it – and if the day-to-day budget decisions are keeping pace with what’s promised on paper. At present, the imbalance is stark. The National Coastal Mission, which funds mangrove and wetland conservation across Indian coasts, received only ₹12.50 crores (₹125 million) in the 2023-24 budget, with Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats &amp; Tangible Incomes (MISHTI), the flagship mangrove program launched on World Environment Day 2023, being fragmented into small, state-level allocations. Tamil Nadu, for instance, was given ₹2.20 crores (₹22 million) over six years for restoration at Pichavaram. So, the nearly ₹2,704 crores (₹27 billion) flowing toward fisheries expansion, mechanised vessel acquisition, and deep-sea fishing in “under-utilised” waters is a weird math. India is spending roughly 200 times more on extractive fishing than on protecting the ecosystems that produce them. Such spending reflects a profound imbalance in priorities. Science supports the concern. The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/indias-latest-fisheries-budget-misses-the-ocean-for-the-fish-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Whale shark rescues gain momentum along India’s west coast</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/whale-shark-rescues-gain-momentum-along-indias-west-coast/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/whale-shark-rescues-gain-momentum-along-indias-west-coast/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Nov 2025 13:15:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.A. Shaji]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artisanal fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine ecosystem]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[marine wildlife]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rescue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/28110026/21051-scaled-e1764307891217-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35814</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Community based conservation, Conservation, Ecology, Ecosystem services, Fish, Fishing, Oceans, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a March morning in Poonthura, near Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, a group of fishermen were hauling their kambavala — a traditional stake-net fixed between bamboo poles driven into the seabed to trap fish in the tidal flow. Their net caught something immense. A dark, speckled shadow thrashed inside the mesh. As they drew closer, they [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a March morning in Poonthura, near Kerala’s capital Thiruvananthapuram, a group of fishermen were hauling their kambavala — a traditional stake-net fixed between bamboo poles driven into the seabed to trap fish in the tidal flow. Their net caught something immense. A dark, speckled shadow thrashed inside the mesh. As they drew closer, they saw the white-dotted back and cavernous mouth of a whale shark (Rhincodon typus), the world’s largest fish, trapped in the bamboo frame and nylon webbing. For a moment, they hesitated. A torn net could mean a month’s lost income for these small fishers. Yet, saving the net would mean killing the creature. On the shore stood Ajit Shanghumukhom, a fisher community representative and a Wildlife Trust of India (WTI)-trained volunteer who made the call. “We can’t let it die,” he said. For half an hour, the fishermen worked with knives and ropes, cutting the net section by section. The water frothed as the whale shark struggled. And when it finally slipped free, the sea fell silent. The fishing net floated like a wound on the water, but the men smiled. They had lost their income but gained something greater — the feeling that the sea itself had been restored. The whale shark (Rhincodon typus) is the world’s largest fish, once caught and slaughtered rampantly along India&#8217;s coast for its liver oil and meat. Image courtesy of Wildlife Trust of India. Fishers turn stewards of conservation Two decades ago, India’s west coast told a much darker&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/11/whale-shark-rescues-gain-momentum-along-indias-west-coast/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>India’s nearshore fisheries overlap with shark and ray habitats</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/indias-nearshore-fisheries-overlap-with-shark-and-ray-habitats/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/indias-nearshore-fisheries-overlap-with-shark-and-ray-habitats/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Sep 2025 14:53:39 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rupsy Khurana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishermen]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[shark]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/18130724/A-variety-of-sharks-and-rays-are-caught-in-non-selective-gears-such-as-trawler.-Credit_Imran-Samad-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34675</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Fish, Fishing, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Along the sun-baked shores of India, where fishing boats dot the horizon and seafood fuels local economies and communities, small-scale fishing is more than a livelihood — it’s a way of life for millions of fishers. Globally, small-scale fisheries support 90% of the world’s fishing population and account for at least 40% of the global [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Along the sun-baked shores of India, where fishing boats dot the horizon and seafood fuels local economies and communities, small-scale fishing is more than a livelihood — it’s a way of life for millions of fishers. Globally, small-scale fisheries support 90% of the world’s fishing population and account for at least 40% of the global fish catch. Often overshadowed by industrial fleets, small-scale fishing is widely seen as more sustainable. Yet its scale tells a different story. Globally, more than 75% of coastal/elasmobranchs — sharks, rays and guitar fish — are threatened with extinction due to nearshore fisheries which are small-scale fishing activities that typically occur within a few kilometres from the shoreline. They overlap with critical habitats for sharks and rays, placing some of the ocean’s most vulnerable creatures at risk. Sharks are routinely caught as part of almost every type of marine fishery, from small traditional boats to large industrial trawlers. India, once the world’s second-largest shark-catching nation, now ranks third. But this drop reflects declining populations, not reduced fishing pressure. With late maturation, slow growth and reproduction, elasmobranchs are vulnerable to fishing pressures and can struggle to recover once depleted. A recent study from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, examined what drives nearshore elasmobranch catch at two major landing sites — Visakhapatnam on the east coast and Malvan on the west. They found that catch patterns are shaped by local factors such as species ecology, fishing gear diversity, number of fishing vessels, fishing frequency and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/indias-nearshore-fisheries-overlap-with-shark-and-ray-habitats/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>New study finds world’s sharks, rays and chimaeras at risk of extinction</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/worlds-sharks-rays-and-chimaeras-at-risk-of-extinction/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/worlds-sharks-rays-and-chimaeras-at-risk-of-extinction/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Jan 2025 11:35:01 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Spoorthy Raman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mongabay Editor]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/02/22102951/Pic-1-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31246</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Extinction, Oceans, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Evolution has perfected the world’s sharks and rays for more than 420 million years. Unlike the ammonites or pterosaurs that they once shared the oceans with, sharks and rays persevered through five mass extinctions. But now, their resilience has been put to test by a human folly: overfishing. In 2023, the Java stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Evolution has perfected the world’s sharks and rays for more than 420 million years. Unlike the ammonites or pterosaurs that they once shared the oceans with, sharks and rays persevered through five mass extinctions. But now, their resilience has been put to test by a human folly: overfishing. In 2023, the Java stingaree (Urolophus javanicus) became the first marine fish on record to have gone extinct because of humans. If current fishing trends continue, it won’t be the last, scientists warn in a recently published report and a study. The new IUCN report, put together by more than 350 experts from more than 100 countries, finds that overfishing is the biggest threat to the world’s 1,266 species of sharks, rays and chimaeras (a distantly related deep-sea order of fish often called “ghost sharks”). Building on previous population assessments and new knowledge gained in the past two decades, the IUCN report identifies global and local threats to sharks and rays found in 158 countries with a coastline. “The report is a call for action,” said report lead author Rima Jabado, who chairs the Shark Specialist Group at the IUCN, the global wildlife conservation authority. “We know so much more [about sharks and rays] than we used to 20 years ago but it’s not all beautiful and rosy … and we need to be doing something about it.” The report finds Indonesia, Spain and India top the world’s shark-fishing countries, followed by Mexico and the U.S. While only a quarter of global&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/worlds-sharks-rays-and-chimaeras-at-risk-of-extinction/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/worlds-sharks-rays-and-chimaeras-at-risk-of-extinction/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
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					<title>[Explainer] What are fish refugia?</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-are-fish-refugia/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-are-fish-refugia/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>24 Jan 2025 13:30:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Oceans]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/24103843/2157738185_6421f00593_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31232</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Indian Ocean]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fishing and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The decline in fish stocks has been a global concern. Overfishing, with high catch rates that leave little time for species to replenish, threatens many marine species. In India, 4.4% of fish stocks are subject to overfishing, while 8.2% are already overfished, reveals a 2022 report from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). As [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The decline in fish stocks has been a global concern. Overfishing, with high catch rates that leave little time for species to replenish, threatens many marine species. In India, 4.4% of fish stocks are subject to overfishing, while 8.2% are already overfished, reveals a 2022 report from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI). As part of its strategies to promote sustainable fishing and restore fish stocks, India’s 2017 National Policy on Marine Fisheries proposed establishing fish refugia. Creation of fish refugia is also mentioned in the latest (2020) draft of the National Fisheries Policy (NFP) for both marine and inland fisheries. However, currently, India has not formally established fish refugia. What are fish refugia? Fish refugia are designated areas meant to protect critical habitats and ecosystems vital for the life cycles of certain fish species. Over the last decade, fish refugia was the focus of an initiative by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) that aimed to operate and expand fish refugia as a strategy to conserve dwindling fish stocks in the South China Sea, including the Gulf of Thailand. This UNEP-led project in Cambodia, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam focuses on linking fisheries management with habitat conservation. UNEP defines fish refugia as “spatially and geographically defined marine or coastal areas in which specific management measures are applied to sustain important species [fisheries resources] during critical stages of their life cycle for their sustainable use.” A blue swimming crab in the waters of Halmahera, Indonesia, which is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/explainer-what-are-fish-refugia/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Audit report flags issues with coastal projects</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/audit-report-flags-issues-with-coastal-projects/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/audit-report-flags-issues-with-coastal-projects/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Jan 2025 14:59:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coastal erosion]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coastal Regulation Zone]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fishing]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/01/17120006/1024px-Marina_Beach_as_seen_from_Light_house-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=31145</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Hewing The Regulatory Tree]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Coastal erosion, Fish, Fishing, Governance, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[From fishing harbours and fish landing centres to luxury resorts, the Tamil Nadu coast is burdened by infrastructure projects that did not obtain environmental clearance or proper authorisation, finds an audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the authority responsible for auditing government finances and ensuring accountability in public spending. Tamil [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[From fishing harbours and fish landing centres to luxury resorts, the Tamil Nadu coast is burdened by infrastructure projects that did not obtain environmental clearance or proper authorisation, finds an audit report by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) of India, the authority responsible for auditing government finances and ensuring accountability in public spending. Tamil Nadu has the second longest coastline in the country and is the fifth-highest ranking state in marine fish production. Between 2022 and 2023, the state produced 175.45 lakh (17.5 million) metric tonnes of fish produce, according to the state fisheries department. The report by India&#8217;s chief audit authority, however, mentions several projects supporting fish production which are operational without proper clearances. Instead of enforcing the rules, the state’s coastal watchdog, the Tamil Nadu State Coastal Zone Management Authority (TNSCZMA), “assumed the role of granting authority” for such projects, as per the report. Projects found in violation of coastal regulation norms include flagship government projects such as the Tuna Fishing Harbour in Thiruvottiyur (costing Rs. 275 crore/2.75 billion) and the renovation of the Mudhunagar fishing harbour project in Cuddalore, designed to have a capacity of 9730 tons per annum and supported by the government&#8217;s Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana (PM-MSY) a scheme which seeks to address gaps in fishery infrastructure “through sustainable and responsible development”. Fishers at work in Royapuram fishing harbour. An audit report finds several projects supporting fish production are operational without proper clearances. Image by Rajesh_India via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0). The audit&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/01/audit-report-flags-issues-with-coastal-projects/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>European Union’s collusion with fishing lobbies is damaging the Indian Ocean tuna, say critics</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/04/european-unions-collusion-with-fishing-lobbies-is-damaging-the-indian-ocean-tuna-say-critics/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/04/european-unions-collusion-with-fishing-lobbies-is-damaging-the-indian-ocean-tuna-say-critics/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Apr 2023 13:50:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malavika Vyawahare]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/04/10101119/yellowfin-tuna-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=22410</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Indian Ocean]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish, Fishing, Industry, Oceans, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[There are three commercially important tuna species in the Indian Ocean, and all of them are at risk. One of the prickliest issues for tuna fisheries in the world is the use of fish-aggregating devices, or FADs. On 5th February, countries hammered out an agreement on FADs in Mombasa, Kenya. That&#8217;s when members of the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[There are three commercially important tuna species in the Indian Ocean, and all of them are at risk. One of the prickliest issues for tuna fisheries in the world is the use of fish-aggregating devices, or FADs. On 5th February, countries hammered out an agreement on FADs in Mombasa, Kenya. That&#8217;s when members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC) agreed to reduce the number of drifting FADs and to impose three-month closures on the devices. Critics say this progress has happened despite the European Union attempting to water down ambition on critical measures aided by the vastly disproportionate negotiating muscle of its delegation to tuna talks, including numerous industry representatives. The bloc’s distant-water fishing fleet reels in the largest share of tuna in the Indian Ocean, most of it taken by massive industrial vessels that use FADs. “EU public authorities and industrial lobbies have merged into a unique body which, on top of damaging marine wildlife and ecosystems also harms developing economies in the Global South,” Frédéric Le Manach, scientific director of BLOOM Association, a French nonprofit, said n a statement. The EU has sent more lobbyists than officials to high-level tuna talks in recent years as negotiations around saving the Indian Ocean yellowfin tuna — a valuable stock perilously close to crashing — intensified, according to an investigation by BLOOM. The IOTC, an intergovernmental body responsible for managing tuna stocks, declared yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) &#8216;overfished&#8217; in 2015, sparking years of hectic negotiations centered on setting catch quotas&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/04/european-unions-collusion-with-fishing-lobbies-is-damaging-the-indian-ocean-tuna-say-critics/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>Low coastal catch forces artisan fishers into the deeper, riskier waters of the storm-prone Arabian Sea</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/low-coastal-catch-forces-artisan-fishers-into-the-deeper-riskier-waters-of-the-storm-prone-arabian-sea/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/low-coastal-catch-forces-artisan-fishers-into-the-deeper-riskier-waters-of-the-storm-prone-arabian-sea/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Jan 2023 12:29:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Max Martin]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2023/01/13111810/Banner-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=21343</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala and Tamil Nadu]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fish, Fishing, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Davidson Anthony Adima started fishing as a 12-year-old, in the coastal waters of southwestern India, on a traditional log raft called kattumaram, propelled by sails and oars. Three decades later, outboard motors take his small fibreglass boat to deeper waters, but he finds fishing as uncertain as the state of the sea, sky and seasons. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Davidson Anthony Adima started fishing as a 12-year-old, in the coastal waters of southwestern India, on a traditional log raft called kattumaram, propelled by sails and oars. Three decades later, outboard motors take his small fibreglass boat to deeper waters, but he finds fishing as uncertain as the state of the sea, sky and seasons. His trips are becoming longer, costlier and often riskier than before. Davidson and colleagues from his Fathimapuram village launch and land about 50 small boats (under 34 feet in length) from the sandy shores of the Arabian Sea at the adjoining St. Andrew’s village in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. A few local boats and shore seine units of fishers from villages further away, where the coast has eroded, find space on this rare scenic beach, along with joggers and walkers. Four decades after outboard motors and fibreglass boats became popular, unsinkable traditional log rafts made of chiselled logs still provide safe and affordable means to fish for many. Photo by Max Martin/Mongabay. They fish within 35 km from the shore but sometimes go further to deeper waters, about 100 km from the shore, where bigger mechanised boats operate. Davidson’s three outboard engines of 40, 15 and 8 horsepower can handle the distance, the big motor kept in reserve to cut across big waves and escape from foul weather quickly. He navigates with a Global Positioning System (GPS), and some colleagues use radio sets and fish-finders (a device to locate fish in water). Fishers are often forced to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2023/01/low-coastal-catch-forces-artisan-fishers-into-the-deeper-riskier-waters-of-the-storm-prone-arabian-sea/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Artisanal fishers struggle in Malvan</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/artisanal-fishers-struggle-in-malvan/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/artisanal-fishers-struggle-in-malvan/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Dec 2022 15:15:05 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manjula Nair]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sahana]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/12/27150610/IMG_1634-scaled-e1672134143564-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=21123</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fish, Fishing, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every day, for the last 14 years, 52-year-old Hemangi Kubal sails out to sea at 1 a.m. to start her workday as the sole fisherwoman of Malvan taluka – a fishing town in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra in India’s west coast. Hemangi, a cancer survivor, heads out to sea to cast her net and returns [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every day, for the last 14 years, 52-year-old Hemangi Kubal sails out to sea at 1 a.m. to start her workday as the sole fisherwoman of Malvan taluka – a fishing town in Sindhudurg district in Maharashtra in India’s west coast. Hemangi, a cancer survivor, heads out to sea to cast her net and returns only at daybreak, around 6 a.m., with the day&#8217;s catch. Every evening, Hemangi, with her husband Hemant&#8217;s help, cuts, cleans, and sells the fish in the evening market that springs up on the shores of Dandi beach. Hemant’s health does not allow him to go out to sea to fish, so it&#8217;s Hemangi that braves the seas every night. Hemangi’s cancer treatment took over much of the family’s resources when it first hit in 2020, during the pandemic. When asked how she overcame these hurdles, she replied with a smile, saying her two daughters, both in their twenties, helped keep the business running. “The fishing community here is very close-knit, they all pitched in and helped us when I was in the hospital,” she says, shyly, her sweeping hand, pointing at the rest of the fishing community busy during the peak market hours. Unlike Hemangi, who sails out to sea, Malvan’s fisherwomen are mainly involved in ancillary processes. Once their husbands return with the catch, the fisherwomen set out to cut, clean, market and even bargain with customers and agents or middlemen, known as dalals who help them sell their fish in the wholesale market.&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/12/artisanal-fishers-struggle-in-malvan/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Demand for sea cucumbers turns India-Sri Lanka waters into trafficking hotspot</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/demand-for-sea-cucumbers-turns-india-sri-lanka-waters-into-trafficking-hotspot/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/demand-for-sea-cucumbers-turns-india-sri-lanka-waters-into-trafficking-hotspot/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Feb 2022 12:24:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malaka RodrigoPragati Prava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2022/02/11102423/5720985441_bf919bbf87_k-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=17090</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Indian Ocean]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Law, Fish, Fishing, Oceans, Overfishing, and Wildlife Trade]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was a calm October night over Sri Lanka’s northern seas, the silence broken only by the sound of a rapidly approaching motorboat from India. In Kalpitiya, a town further down the island’s western coast, it rendezvoused with a truck waiting on the beach. Also waiting there was a Navy patrol team, which seized the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was a calm October night over Sri Lanka’s northern seas, the silence broken only by the sound of a rapidly approaching motorboat from India. In Kalpitiya, a town further down the island’s western coast, it rendezvoused with a truck waiting on the beach. Also waiting there was a Navy patrol team, which seized the illegal consignment of 1,196 kilograms (2,637 pounds) of dried sea cucumbers; authorities also arrested two trafficking suspects. The previous month, on September 19, the Indian Coast Guard made a similar arrest in the waters off Mandapam in Tamil Nadu state. The individuals arrested in that incident were carrying 2 metric tons of sea cucumbers meant to be smuggled by sea into Sri Lanka. Seizures of illegally harvested sea cucumbers have become increasingly common in the waters between India and Sri Lanka. Between 2015 and 2020, the Sri Lankan Navy and the Indian Coast Guard made 502 arrests and seized nearly 65 metric tons of sea cucumbers worth a combined $2.84 million. A group of men sorting sea cucumbers for processing. Photo courtesy of Ganeshan Nishanthan. Increase in smuggling According to data analysis of sea cucumber-related seizures and arrests reported in the media, 2019 and 2020 saw a sharp increase in cases, making the Gulf of Mannar/Palk Bay region between the two countries a global hotspot for sea cucumber smuggling. Despite their name, sea cucumbers aren’t vegetables; they’re echinoderms, from the same phylum of marine animals that includes starfish and sea urchins, and live on the sandy bottoms of oceans, where they perform&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2022/02/demand-for-sea-cucumbers-turns-india-sri-lanka-waters-into-trafficking-hotspot/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>How climate change is taking a toll on livelihoods of small-scale fishers in Kerala</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/08/how-climate-change-is-taking-a-toll-on-livelihoods-of-small-scale-fishers-in-kerala/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/08/how-climate-change-is-taking-a-toll-on-livelihoods-of-small-scale-fishers-in-kerala/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>16 Aug 2021 12:16:35 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K.V.A. Khadar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artisanal fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate change impact]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[coast]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/08/13174217/High-waves-overtopping-the-coastal-wall-in-Chellanam-Photo-credit-MELTON-ANTONY-e1629094935298-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=15186</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Fish, Fishing, Global Warming, Oceans, Overfishing, and Sea Level Rise]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Until recently, Kerala’s coastal population had every reason to rejoice the arrival of the monsoon in the state. Apart from numerous good fishing hauls, the important celebratory moments like weddings came about during the monsoon season which spans from June to August, as they generally attained economic stability during the period. However, over the last [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Until recently, Kerala’s coastal population had every reason to rejoice the arrival of the monsoon in the state. Apart from numerous good fishing hauls, the important celebratory moments like weddings came about during the monsoon season which spans from June to August, as they generally attained economic stability during the period. However, over the last few years, climate change and the ensuing shifts in the marine environment have disrupted the rhythm of their lives. Long gone are the days of big catches and the subsequent rise in seasonal income for the small-scale fishers. “Our age-old custom of planning and celebrating big events during the monsoon season has come to a halt as this period no longer offers us a stable income for the past few years. Lately, the monsoon is quite erratic in its patterns resulting in a reduction in the number of fishing days, and thus becoming the worst-hit season of the year,” says 55-year old Ponnan K., a traditional fisherman from Alappuzha. In addition, the unavailability of commercially important fishes also adds to their woes. “These days we return with empty boats. Going out fishing only adds to our debts,” says Unnikrishnan T.B., another fisherman from Vypin in Ernakulam district. Like Ponnan and Unnikrishnan, as many as 1,37,248 active fishermen in Kerala are passing through a difficult phase in their life, as the impacts of climate change are taking a toll on the livelihoods of the small-scale fishermen who go for fishing primarily to feed their families on&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/08/how-climate-change-is-taking-a-toll-on-livelihoods-of-small-scale-fishers-in-kerala/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Fish sanctuaries and community support for conservation of Meghalaya&#8217;s mahseer</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/08/fish-sanctuaries-and-community-support-for-conservation-of-meghalayas-mahseer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/08/fish-sanctuaries-and-community-support-for-conservation-of-meghalayas-mahseer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Aug 2021 10:56:34 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[community conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fish]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mahseer]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/08/02202011/banner-meghalaya-768x450.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=15044</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Community based conservation, Fish, Fishing, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A sudden whirlpool in the usually calm waters surrounding the hills of Meghalaya can mean only one thing – a school of frenzied chocolate mahseer, locally also known as Na.rong, has gathered together to eat puffed rice that someone has thrown into the water from an elevated point. The chocolate mahseer, listed as a Near [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A sudden whirlpool in the usually calm waters surrounding the hills of Meghalaya can mean only one thing – a school of frenzied chocolate mahseer, locally also known as Na.rong, has gathered together to eat puffed rice that someone has thrown into the water from an elevated point. The chocolate mahseer, listed as a Near Threatened species in the IUCN Red List, is thriving in the Nengmandalgre Fish Sanctuary − one of the 79 pocket fish sanctuaries in the state, completely managed by the local communities. The conservation success is the result of seven decades of Meghalaya’s tryst with fish conservation. In Meghalaya, the way of life itself is an example of how humans and nature are interdependent. A fishing ban that led to the fish sanctuaries Fish is an important part of the diet in Meghalaya. The northeastern state also has a rich history of traditional fishing; the indigenous community would go into the streams and the rivers with hooks and lines, harpoons, nets, and other gear. Many times, tuberous roots of certain plants, barks and fruits would also be used to poison the fish. Fishing, both for food and recreational purposes, would typically take place in the winter months, known as Shoh-kha-ru and would sometimes result in conflict between neighbouring villages over the ownership of the river. One such dispute over community fishing across the Amalayee river led to a fight between the two villages on either side of the river: Nongbareh-rim and Nongbareh-Iyntiar. The Lyngdoh, or the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/08/fish-sanctuaries-and-community-support-for-conservation-of-meghalayas-mahseer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>[Commentary] The unspoken crises of Lakshadweep</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/commentary-the-unspoken-crises-of-lakshadweep/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/commentary-the-unspoken-crises-of-lakshadweep/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Jun 2021 15:07:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Rohan Arthur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[islands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[threatened]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/06/03145750/IMG_0134-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=14398</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India and Lakshadweep]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coral Reefs, Ecology, Fish, Fishing, Islands, Oceans, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Beneath the current crisis that is brewing in the Lakshadweep, there is another unspoken crisis unfolding that threatens the very habitability of the islands, and calls into question the fevered dreams of development in whose name the current policies are being promulgated. The latest proposed regulations and orders will only make more efficient a process [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Beneath the current crisis that is brewing in the Lakshadweep, there is another unspoken crisis unfolding that threatens the very habitability of the islands, and calls into question the fevered dreams of development in whose name the current policies are being promulgated. The latest proposed regulations and orders will only make more efficient a process of unravelling that began several decades ago. The crisis I refer to, is climate change. Lakshadweep is living on borrowed time, and what we do with that time will decide the fate of the islands and its people. To be clear, I am not among the climate change Cassandras. I have spent the last two decades trying to wrap my head around the impacts of climate change on the coral reefs of Lakshadweep. In that time, I have seen the extraordinary resilience the ecosystem has shown to climate disturbances. When I first witnessed the reef succumb to a catastrophic bleaching event in mid-1998, I was convinced that I was witnessing the death of the reef, and that I would spend the remaining years writing its epitaph. I could not have been more wrong. It took a few years, but when the recovery began, it proceeded at a galloping pace, and in less than a decade the reef was well on its way to health again. If you spend enough time in nature, it cures you of any hubris of intellectual certainty. And the most dangerous thing you can do is to believe you have seen&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/06/commentary-the-unspoken-crises-of-lakshadweep/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Predatory European ships push Indian Ocean tuna to the brink</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/predatory-european-ships-push-indian-ocean-tuna-to-the-brink/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/predatory-european-ships-push-indian-ocean-tuna-to-the-brink/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>19 Apr 2021 15:20:52 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Malavika Vyawahare]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Nandithachandraprakash]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/04/16144054/banner-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13925</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Connected Environments and Transboundary Infrastructure]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Indian Ocean]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Coast, Conservation, Endangered species, Environment, Fish, Fishing, Oceans, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[A Spanish tuna fishing vessel, the Playa de Anzoras, named after a beach in Spain, sailed under the Spanish flag until January 9, 2014. On January 10 that year, the 2,200-tonne vessel dropped the Spanish flag in favour of the Seychelles flag. Seychelles is a small archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean. Neither Spain nor [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[A Spanish tuna fishing vessel, the Playa de Anzoras, named after a beach in Spain, sailed under the Spanish flag until January 9, 2014. On January 10 that year, the 2,200-tonne vessel dropped the Spanish flag in favour of the Seychelles flag. Seychelles is a small archipelagic nation in the Indian Ocean. Neither Spain nor continental Europe share a coast with the Indian Ocean, where Playa de Anzoras operates. Yet the European Union dominates tuna fisheries here and profits the most from it. This dominance is, in part, explained by ships like the Playa de Anzoras, which is flagged to Seychelles but ultimately controlled by European companies, according to records reviewed by Mongabay. EU-controlled ships have pulled in the lion&#8217;s share of the region’s valuable yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) for more than three decades. Now, the stock is teetering on the verge of collapse. A plan to stop overfishing and restore it has failed. This March, talks on the issue ended in a stalemate. The EU wants other members of the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission (IOTC), the intergovernmental agency charged with managing tuna fisheries in the region, which India is a part of, to be subject to greater restrictions. Meanwhile, some observers point to the EU’s own failure to play by the rules and save a stock that it profits so greatly from. The Indian Ocean is ringed by developing countries, many of which have only in the last century gained independence from European colonial rule. Some see EU states’ grip over resources like tuna&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/04/predatory-european-ships-push-indian-ocean-tuna-to-the-brink/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Eating shark meat might be normal in India but it could have an adverse impact</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/eating-shark-meat-might-be-normal-in-india-but-it-could-have-an-adverse-impact/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/eating-shark-meat-might-be-normal-in-india-but-it-could-have-an-adverse-impact/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>22 Feb 2021 13:02:30 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Supriya Vohra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Mayank Aggarwal]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2021/02/22102932/Banner-image-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=13314</guid>

					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Goa]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Fish, Fishing, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“This is crazy, Americans rarely eat shark,” exclaims an American video blogger in his April 2019 video while looking at baby sharks in a fish market in Calangute, Goa while his guide replied, “In India we do.” This is one among scores of videos on various social media platforms which have been uploaded by food [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“This is crazy, Americans rarely eat shark,” exclaims an American video blogger in his April 2019 video while looking at baby sharks in a fish market in Calangute, Goa while his guide replied, “In India we do.” This is one among scores of videos on various social media platforms which have been uploaded by food bloggers, domestic and international, highlighting popular dishes made with shark meat in states such as Goa. In fact, shark meat is gaining popularity in Goan restaurants. The initial finding of a survey conducted by InSeason Fish, a Chennai-based collective that raises awareness about seafood sustainability, which is yet to be published but reviewed by Mongabay-India, revealed that many popular restaurants in Goa are promoting dishes made of shark meat such as “shark xacuti, shark masala, and ambok tik.” As Goa is gearing up for tourists post-pandemic, restaurants are putting up a show on social media, promoting their food, and shark meat preparations are among them. Shark meat has always been a part of the Goan diet. It is cooked in two main ways, says Fernando Monte da Silva, a Goa-based travel and food writer and a culinary entrepreneur. “First is curries, especially the ambok tik, which, as far as I’m aware, is the only non-coconut curry we have,” he told Mongabay-India. Also known as poor man’s curry as coconut milk is not used, it is a spicy and sour dish, prepared with kokum and chillies and a choice of fish meat, most commonly used is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2021/02/eating-shark-meat-might-be-normal-in-india-but-it-could-have-an-adverse-impact/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>[Commentary] Tilapia: How an invasive fish came to dominate our ecology, food and psyche</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/commentary-tilapia-how-an-invasive-fish-came-to-dominate-our-ecology-food-and-psyche/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/commentary-tilapia-how-an-invasive-fish-came-to-dominate-our-ecology-food-and-psyche/?noamp=mobile#comments</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Oct 2020 14:22:31 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aaron Savio Lobo]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Sandhya Sekar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2020/10/13153223/1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=11820</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Animal Behaviour, Animals, Fishing, Food, and Overfishing]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Karmali (also called Carambolim) is among Goa&#8217;s most picturesque railway stations, perched on the banks of the lake with the same name. The lake has long been known for the large congregations of wintering waterfowl that arrive here every year and is frequented by birders. It was even conferred the status of an Important Bird [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Karmali (also called Carambolim) is among Goa&#8217;s most picturesque railway stations, perched on the banks of the lake with the same name. The lake has long been known for the large congregations of wintering waterfowl that arrive here every year and is frequented by birders. It was even conferred the status of an Important Bird Area (IBA). I have been visiting the lake since the nineties, and more recently, with a bird photographer friend of mine, who was keen to photograph the lake&#8217;s resident osprey. While we were on the lookout, my friend drew my attention to the lake&#8217;s muddy banks. Large expanses of the banks and shallows were pockmarked with bowl-sized, crater-like excavations. I was similarly puzzled the first time I saw these otherworldly formations back in 2004 on the drying bed of the Vaigai river just outside Madurai in Tamil Nadu. The local fishers told me that the little craters were the nests of the Jalebi meen, referring to the Mozambique Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus). I found out that Jalebi was a corruption of the word Tilapia, which was apparently first called Jilapia and later corrupted to Jalebi; meen is Tamil for fish. When it&#8217;s time to breed, the male fish swim in shoals to the shallows. The dominant ones transform themselves into an inky blue-black, the posterior margins of their fins sporting vibrant reddish-orange hues. They then dig their nest bowl, called a spawning bower, and defend it fiercely from other trespassing males, while courting approaching females. While the males remain confined to&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2020/10/commentary-tilapia-how-an-invasive-fish-came-to-dominate-our-ecology-food-and-psyche/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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