Pollution and Encroachments Wipe Out Inland Fishing Across Adyar and Kotturpuram

Inland fishing across Madras localities including Pattinampakkam, Adyar, Kotturpuram, and Saidapet has largely vanished due to severe pollution, encroachments, and lack of desilting, according to local fishing community leaders and former fisheries officials.

Rivers and estuaries that once supplied residents with fresh catch such as madava, keluthi, ooda, era, and nandu have been reduced to sewage carriers and garbage dumps. The insects that once lived in river slush and served as natural fish feed have disappeared, dismantling vibrant inland fishermen cooperative societies that operated for decades.

According to fishing community leader M.D. Dayalan, the few remaining inland fishermen have registered as sea-faring fishermen. They now cast lines from the Adyar and Kotturpuram bridges only during the Northeast monsoon when heavy rains flush the waterways. Inland fish sold in the city are now primarily sourced from reservoirs and lakes outside municipal limits.

Former Fisheries Department staffer Krishnamohan recalled that fishermen previously worked in pristine river waters using small nets and traditional wooden catamarans. However, the loss of river habitats has shifted the focus of Chennai’s fisheries entirely to the coastline, which spans from Ennore in Ward 1 to Nainarkuppam in Ward 200.

In 2022-23, the total catch by coastal fishermen reached 52,134 tonnes. The Kasimedu Fishing Harbour in Royapuram now serves as the base for roughly 900 mechanised boats alongside hundreds of smaller fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP) vessels.

Community leaders noted that traditional wooden craft have been phased out since FRP boats were introduced in 1990 with government subsidies. Modern double-engine FRP boats measuring up to 65 feet can now remain in high seas for a week, said community leader M.E. Raghupathi.

Despite the growth of marine fishing, community members raised concerns over infrastructure and space. Research scholar Jones Spartegus pointed out that fishermen lack adequate harbour amenities, including basic sanitation facilities, and face displacement from coastal areas like Marina and Loop Road without adequate room to mend nets, dry fish, and park boats.