Catamaran Fishing (Tamil Nadu – India)

The ancient tradition of fishing by catamaran is a sustainable way of harvesting marine life without damaging the sensitive coastal environment of coral mangrove, wetland and sea-grass bed habitats in the Bay of Bengal. It has been practiced by the coastal fishing communities in Sirkali Taluk, Tamil Nadu state, India, for 2000 years, yet is now seriously threatened by pollution and over-fishing by commercial mechanized boats. Preserving and promoting this sustainable traditional fishing practice is crucial for the protection of the biological very productive and environmentally unique coast of the Bay of Bengal, whose bordering countries, together, are home to one quarter of the world's population.