Living on the Edge: Climate Change, Livelihoods and Adaptation Among Visakhapatnam’s Small-Scale Fishermen

Abstract

The study examines the small-scale fishermen in Jodugallapalem, a coastal village in Visakhapatnam, India, about their perspectives and responses to climate change. The data from multi-generational fishing families were collected through primary interviews to analyse the understanding of fishermen about environmental changes and their impacts on livelihood, and adaptation strategies. The fishermen perceived significant climate-related changes including altered cyclone patterns, a rise in sea level, declining catches, and shifts in fish populations. These observations made by fishermen from place-based knowledge systems align with scientific observations. Occupational diversification, technological adoption, and migration patterns are few visible adaptation strategies. The need for integrating indigenous ecological knowledge with scientific approaches in developing climate adaptation policies is significantly highlighted in the findings. The immediate livelihood challenges and long-term sustainability concerns need to be addressed through contextually appropriate interventions to build climate resilience in vulnerable coastal communities.