Fishers from six Andhra districts seek Forest Rights Act-style law to protect fishing grounds
Traditional fishers in Andhra Pradesh are demanding a legal framework similar to the Forest Rights Act to protect their fishing grounds from industrial displacement. They are also calling for improved ecological mapping and better early warning systems to mitigate the impacts of climate change and coastal erosion.
Why it matters
The demand reflects the tension between industrial development and the livelihoods of traditional communities in coastal regions.
Traditional fishers from six coastal Andhra districts have asked for a law on the lines of the Forest Rights Act to protect their fishing grounds and access routes from displacement by coastal projects. The demand came at a consultation in Visakhapatnam on Thursday (October 8, 2026) attended by 72 delegates from Konaseema, Kakinada, Anakapalli, Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts.
The meeting, held at the Fishery Survey of India hall, was organised by the Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-Governmental Organisation (BOBP-IGO), the District Fishermen Youth Welfare Association (DFYWA) and FISHCON. DFYWA executive secretary Arjilli Dasu chaired the sessions. BOBP-IGO representative Ahana Lakshmi and FISHCON president Surada Rajarao took part.
Fishers described how changing weather, storm surges and coastal erosion were shrinking fishing seasons and depleting stocks. They sought district-wise ecological mapping so that ecosystem buffers, safe evacuation routes and storm-proof storage could be built into the State’s disaster plans.
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