A white-throated kingfisher, a horseshoe crab, a whale shark and an Asian elephant are some of the species found entangled in ghost nets in India, mostly along the coasts. An…
The coastal waters of Devipattinam in Tamil Nadu have been experiencing an unusual increase in the population of the invasive tilapia fish (Tilapia sp.). Fish of various sizes have been…
Sandy shores, sand dunes, mangroves, mudflats, cliffs, seagrass meadows, salt marshes – these scenic features often make news as they face frequent threats. Marine litter, extreme weather and building activities…
Gopal Sarkar, a 54-year-old farmer from Jalpaiguri district in the northern part of West Bengal, faced difficulties cultivating vegetables this past winter. His one-hectare plot is covered by a 4-5…
Nestled within the coastal communities of Kerala lies an age-old practice that embodies the essence of sustainable living: Kambavala fishing. This traditional method, deeply ingrained in local culture, not only…
Riding three-metre high shore waves, Placid Netto, 72, approached the shore on his eight-foot fibreglass raft, jumped off and clung on to its stern for a moment. He pushed the…
India is likely to advocate for securing the interests of its artisanal fishers while facilitating the growth of the fishing sector at the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO) 13th Ministerial Conference…
During one of our research field trips to the Tungabhadra reservoir near Hampi, to study aquatic biological invasions, we asked a local resident, Sreenivasan, about the presence of the African…
The second part of this two-part series looks at how the expanding salt works are killing small fisheries in Gujarat’s Little Rann of Kutch. The first of the two-part series…
The first of the two-part series looks at the practice of ginger prawn fishing and its significance in the biodiversity hotspot of the Little Rann of Kutch. The second part…
Certain species of elasmobranch, such as sharks, are among the most overfished species in the Indian seas. A new survey documenting their consumption in India suggests one group of stakeholders,…
Mesh sizes for the cod end of trawl nets, where captured fish are collected, play a crucial role in preventing overfishing of small-sized fishes. Each state on the western coast…
In a background of increasing market pressure and changing climate marked by intensifying storms, extreme weather and uncertain seasons, fishers find insurance cover often inadequate. While fishers’ life insurance schemes…
“My mother used to collect seaweed from the sea. As a child, I naturally followed her to sea and ever since then, seaweed farming is what I do,” says R.…
“Trawling-Project Bhai Bhai, Ek dori-te fansi chai” (Trawling and shrimp culture are brothers and both need to be hanged with the same rope) The Bengali couplet has been a popular…
Under the rain clouds playing hide and seek, artisanal deep-sea vessels lay docked close to one another at Thengapattinam harbour, 45 kilometres north of the cape of South India in…
Rhino rays form a distinct and important group of elasmobranchii, a subclass of cartilaginous fish that comprises rays and sharks. However, there is limited information on rhino rays, and 15…
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…
It was a sunny day with partial clouds, in Rameswaram, an island separated from the mainland of Tamil Nadu. Behind the Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Memorial, a president’s mausoleum and…
Until a decade and a half ago, mola fish (Amblypharyngodon mola), a small indigenous species (SIS), was an integral part of Odia cuisine. However, with changing climatic conditions, pollution, excessive…