Marine fishing in India, particularly on the East Coast, is facing a crisis of resource depletion caused by a mix of over-exploitation and destructive practices and gear. For management of tropical multi-species fisheries a better understanding of the processes that affect species assemblages is required in addition to the social and economic issues that also play a major role in governing the exploitation of fisheries in these area. Failure to recognise the institutional arrangements under which most artisanal fisheries operate often leads to non-compliance of externally imposed regulations.

This project seeks to contribute to sustainable management of marine fisheries by strengthening initiatives in fisheries co-management. It seeks to answer specific questions about resource utilisation among artisanal fishers and help build upon earlier work in organising meetings between representatives of artisanal fishers and the fisheries department. This research has direct relevance to the artisanal fishing communities located on the Coromandel coast. The project area comprises of 15 fishing settlements and three jetties along the largely sandy coast between Marakannam in Villupuram Dt. It extends to the deltaic areas of the Cauvery river in the region of Killai, at the South of the Cuddalore Dt. and encompasses the union territory of Pondicherry.