Fishing Palk Bay

 In comparison to the adjacent richly biodiverse Gulf of Mannar, the Palk Bay’s biodiversity has received only fledgling conservation attention, both from researchers and from the general public. Hence the lens is now turned to the biodiverse Palk Bay. Concentrating only on marine life gives a skewed view of conservation and its needs. Therefore the effort here is to weave the marine life of Palk Bay with the human component.

Knowledge is the central character of the film and how it forms and evolves is beautifully captured through the colorful underwater photography, the engaging narrative and the apt background music of the film. The local knowledge anchored in the day-to-day dependence and knowing of the ecological space has to be appreciated and is central to the successful resource governance of areas like Palk Bay. The Palk Bay's rich and historical social-ecological system harbors incredible biological and cultural diversity and this diversity is best understood by recognizing that ‘nature’ and ‘culture’ are virtually inseparable.

Thus the film conveys to state actors (government officials, bureaucrats, fisheries managers) and non-state actors such as civil society groups, fish worker associations, and interested members of the public, the nature of local ecological knowledge in practice, its value in marine biodiversity conservation and the challenges confronting the same.