Fishers at Uppada harbour in Andhra Pradesh say catches have declined sharply, leaving many mechanised boats idle and pushing up prices of popular sea fish.
Local fishers say poor catch, rough seas, rising fuel costs and longer trips into deeper waters are making fishing increasingly uncertain and expensive.
Experts say warming seas, erratic rainfall, changing freshwater flows and low-oxygen “dead zones” are reshaping fish distribution and migration along India’s coast.
The changes are affecting both livelihoods and markets, as fishers need more fuel, specialised gear and longer trips to secure the same economic returns.
There is usually a bustle at the small harbour of Uppada, as boats return with the day’s catch and fishers begin unloading and selling to buyers calling out their prices. Lately, that scene has been missing. The harbour on the Andhra Pradesh coast, along the Bay of Bengal, looks deserted. Most boats remain moored because their owners are unable to go to sea.
“For more than a month now, we haven’t been getting much fish. Our men have also stopped venturing far into the sea because the catch is so poor, and the rough conditions make it too risky to go out,” said Nookalamma, who was selling fish she had bought from a middleman.
Mouli works at Uppada harbour as an auctioneer from around 10 am to 7 pm, earning a 5 per cent commission on fish sales. He also provides advances to fishers — Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2 lakh for smaller boats and up to Rs 10 lakh for larger ones — and auctions their catch, paying them after deducting his commission.
He said fish catches had declined sharply over the past two decades.
“We are not able to catch any fish in this season. There were more fish in the sea about 20 years ago. Fishers are now struggling to catch them, and we are seeing less of fish like mackerel, shark, sardine and katta (talang queenfish), which used to be abundant during the monsoon,” Mouli said.
He attributed the decline partly to extreme weather and marine pollution, alleging that effluents from a factory in Palaparthi, about 20 kilometres away, had affected fish availability. Rising fuel and transport costs, he said, were adding to fishers’ financial burden as catches dwindled.
With low catch and high travel costs, fishing activity along the Andhra coast has reduced sharply, with more than 70 per cent of mechanised fishing boats idle at port. Limited supply in markets has pushed some popular sea fish varieties above Rs 1,000 per kg.
Climate change is affecting fish distribution and catches in several ways, according to Divya Karnad, co-founder of In Season Fish, a sustainable seafood initiative.
As waters become warmer, species that prefer cooler conditions are moving to other areas in search of suitable habitats. Warming oceans are also contributing to the formation of “dead zones”, where a surge in phytoplankton and the decomposition of organic matter can deplete oxygen in the water, making it difficult for marine life to survive.
These changes are already altering the distribution of several fish species along India’s coast. The oil sardine, for instance, was traditionally abundant along the west coast, especially in Kerala and Karnataka. Over the past decade, however, it has increasingly been reported along the east coast, with catches extending northwards to Odisha and West Bengal.
Conversely, threadfin bream, a small pinkish fish once common along the east coast, is now being found more frequently along the west coast. “Fish that migrate between the sea and rivers, including species related to the hilsa, have also been declining or disappearing from parts of the east coast,” Karnad said.
Together, these changes suggest that warming seas and changing ocean conditions are reshaping the distribution, migration and availability of fish along India’s coastline.
The availability of the much-coveted hilsa depends on several variables, including temperature, salinity, freshwater flow and monsoon rainfall. Its migration and spawning may be affected by unpredictable rainfall linked to climate change, as this changes river discharge and rainfall intensity.
Bullemma, a fisher in Uppada, buys leftovers at the harbour and sells them to chicken and aquaculture farms, taking whatever quantity is available. The lot is usually bought by businessmen who own poultry and aquaculture farms and transported in a large vehicle. Most of the owners are based in Tanuku, in West Godavari district.
For Bullemma, the work is also a way to keep her family going.
She said her husband and son had died because of health issues, leaving her to care for her grandson. Her daughter-in-law is disabled and depends on her. Bullemma has taken on the responsibility of supporting the family, though she is unsure how she will manage.
“Even though this work doesn’t pay much,” she said — she sells the leftovers for Rs 25 per kg — “I have to keep doing this to feed my family.”
According to Venkatesh Salagrama, a marine and fisheries expert from Kakinada, sea productivity traditionally rises between around June 15 and August 15, with good fish catches often following from August onwards.
When fishers say they are not getting catches, he said, it is also important to ask whether the weather is allowing them to go out to sea. Poor weather can reduce fishing effort and catches. Erratic rainfall and higher temperatures can also affect the timing and distribution of fish.
Freshwater entering the sea is not “wasted water”, he said. It is essential to the natural circulation and ecological balance of coastal and marine systems.
If freshwater flows are reduced because of dams or other interventions, there can be biological consequences for the marine environment.
“The impact is not simply that fewer fish may reach the coast; changes in freshwater flows can have cascading effects throughout the marine ecosystem,” Salagrama said.
“If a boat goes out for fishing, it costs us about Rs 50,000, and yet we are not guaranteed a good catch. We go back the next day if we don’t get a good catch. The regular fish which we usually get in August are not seen this time,” said Erugu Sattiraju from Uppada.
He said fishers sometimes have to stay at sea for two to three days when they go farther out, which costs much more.
“Last month, one fisher got a good catch of around 10 tonnes of pomfret and sold it for Rs 18,00,000. While the amount may seem like a good profit, he most probably hadn’t had a catch for the last two to three months and usually has a loan of Rs 6 lakh to Rs 7 lakh to pay off. The remaining profit too has to be shared among at least 30 other people, which doesn’t leave him with much,” said Simhadri, another fisher from Uppada.
According to E Vivekanandan, senior consultant to the intergovernmental Bay of Bengal Programme, warming seas are altering the distribution and behaviour of fish.
The changes go beyond where species are found. In fish such as threadfin bream, spawning is shifting towards cooler months, while faster growth and earlier maturity are also being observed.
“With the growth rate being faster, these fish maturing at a younger age and changes in spawning, there is a change in the distribution pattern and physiology of the fish,” he said.
These shifts are forcing fishers to adapt their fishing practices and markets.
Oil sardines, for instance, are now appearing in West Bengal and even Bangladesh in unusual numbers, requiring fishers in newer regions to find markets for them or sell them as feed for aquaculture.
Salagrama said that as fish move deeper into the sea, the cost of fishing has increased.
What previously required 20 litres of fuel to sail a particular distance and fish for several days may now require about 70 litres to reach areas where fish are available.
Fishing gear costs have also changed. Earlier, one gill net could capture a variety of fish species. Today, different nets may be needed depending on the fish, season, depth and location.
Net mesh sizes, net depths, head ropes and tail ropes, along with the type of sinkers required, all depend on the fish being targeted. Some species prefer shallow waters, while others are found deeper.
“Fish migration has made fishing difficult, hence making it necessary for fishers to use more fuel and specialised gear,” Salagrama said.
According to him, the total number of fish caught may not have dropped substantially, but the average share per person has reduced.
If 10 fishing vessels once landed a certain quantity of fish and 100 vessels are now needed to land the same quantity, individual shares have become smaller.
The economics have changed as well. What once cost Rs 100 to catch 10kg of fish may now cost Rs 1,000.
When fishers complain of low catches, Salagrama said, they may also be talking about lower economic returns.
Reporting for this story was supported by a grant from Earth Journalism Network.