A fish that walks and skips on land, the mudskipper is a fascinating creature. It is found in mangrove swamps, tidal flats, and estuaries across the Indo-Pacific, and has adapted to thrive both in water and on land. It can “walk” on land using its pectoral fins and breathe through its skin and the lining of the mouth and throat.

Mudskippers are also part of the local delicacies and traditions of coastal communities along India’s west and east coasts. In the knee to waist-deep mudflats, fisherfolk catch the slippery mudskippers for food, rituals, or simply as a tasty treat. “During hot summers, we eat mudskippers to avoid getting dehydrated,” shares Jyoti Dinanath Koli, a fisherwoman from Mahagaon in Ulwe, Maharashtra.

However, what was once a common sight in local fish markets has become uncommon.

“Earlier, whoever came and dug holes in the mud got enough mudskippers. Now, people dig large and deep holes, but still cannot catch enough. Mudskippers were a staple food for breakfast. People came to the creek with a tumbler and left with mudskippers. Now, mudskippers have disappeared, which has also affected our diets,” worries fisherman Aakash Koli.

Mudskippers have a commercial value in the local market, but they don’t dominate the international market. While their economic importance is not as significant as other fish, they play an important role in serving as ecosystem indicators.

Mumbai’s creeks and estuaries have drastically changed over the decades. Industrial and domestic waste, sand dredging, and rapid construction have damaged the mudskipper’s habitat. Since mudskippers can tolerate drastic environmental changes and also accumulate heavy metals in their organs, monitoring them can provide an effective indication of pollution in our oceans and coasts.

While mudskippers are an integral part of the coastal diet and culture, much remains unknown about them. For example, what is the diversity and population of mudskippers in Mumbai? Could eating mudskippers from polluted waters pose health risks?

Experts say that there is very little research conducted on mudskippers. These are highly sensitive to the environment. Although they remain in the polluted area for some time, they ultimately vanish from the highly polluted areas. There is, therefore, a need to learn more about them to both conserve them and also understand their environment better.

This video was produced as part of ‘Environmental Video Reporting Opportunity 2023’ — a joint initiative of Mongabay-India and ALT EFF.

Banner image: Dussumier’s mudskipper in Mumbai. Image by Prajwal J Ullal/iNaturalist (CC BY-NC).