Economic Status of the Fishermen Community in the Coastal Areas from Chennai to Marakkanam, Tamil Nadu

Fishing communities along the Tamil Nadu coastline face a complex web of socio-economic vulnerabilities, including income instability, constrained access to formal credit and insurance, inadequate cold storage and transportation infrastructure, market price volatility, and recurring exposure to natural disasters such as cyclones and coastal inundation. Despite the Chennai–Marakkanam coastal corridor’s strategic proximity to urban markets and major port facilities, the economic conditions of fishing households remain comparatively marginal when measured against growth in allied coastal sectors such as tourism and industrial port development. Research on community-level economic resilience and institutional support frameworks provides important conceptual grounding for understanding these dynamics (Swadhi et al., 2025; Vettriselvan et al., 2026; Kariveliparambil et al., 2026). Fishing in this region is not merely an occupation it constitutes a hereditary livelihood deeply embedded in social structure, cultural identity, and community organization. However, progressive mechanization, resource depletion, climatic variability, regulatory restrictions, coastal industrialization, and market volatility have fundamentally disrupted the traditional economic foundations of fishing households. This study comprehensively examines the economic conditions of fishermen communities within this spatial corridor, integrating socio-economic indicators, livelihood strategies, and institutional support mechanisms to generate actionable insights for sustainable development planning and inclusive policy formulation.