At the edge of Chennai's coastline, a market that never sleeps reveals the quiet endurance of those who have always lived closest to the sea. The fisherfolk who land, sort, and sell through the night come from the city's poorest neighborhoods, where the ocean is not a vocation freely chosen but a lifeline inherited by necessity. As Chennai urbanizes and coastal pressures mount, these communities find themselves holding more risk with fewer resources — essential to the city's daily nourishment, yet structurally unseen by the systems meant to protect them.
Chennai's fishermen battle survival in relentless sea trade
Residents from impoverished neighborhoods face daily survival challenges and economic hardship dependent on fishing livelihoods.