The coastal Muslim fishing communities of Kerala represent a form of economic and ecological intelligence that the state has steadily marginalised, even as it depends on the coast for food security, trade, and climate resilience. Spread across stretches of Malabar and parts of central Kerala, these communities have lived for generations at the interface of sea, market, and risk. Vision Kerala 2047 requires reframing them not as vulnerable beneficiaries of welfare schemes, but as strategic partners in building a resilient coastal economy at a time of accelerating climate stress and maritime competition.
Historically, Muslim fishing communities along Kerala’s coast combined artisanal skill with commercial acumen. Fishing was not merely subsistence activity; it was embedded in trade networks that linked local catch to inland markets and overseas routes. Knowledge of tides, seasons, species behaviour, and risk management was passed down informally but rigorously. This knowledge constituted a living system of marine governance long before the state developed formal fisheries departments.
Post-independence development disrupted this balance. Mechanisation, trawling, and the entry of large capital altered marine ecosystems and market dynamics. Traditional fishers were pushed into smaller margins, facing declining catch, rising costs, and ecological uncertainty. Welfare interventions focused on income support and housing, but often failed to address the structural erosion of livelihood systems. As a result, fishing communities came to be framed primarily as vulnerable, rather than as repositories of expertise.
Vision Kerala 2047 must correct this framing. Climate change is transforming the Arabian Sea. Fish migration patterns are shifting, storms are intensifying, and coastal erosion is accelerating. In such a context, experiential marine knowledge becomes a strategic asset. Coastal Muslim fishers possess granular, location-specific understanding that satellite data and models alone cannot replace. Policy must integrate this knowledge into formal marine planning, disaster preparedness, and resource management.
The first policy pillar should be co-managed fisheries governance. Kerala’s fisheries regulation remains largely top-down, with limited participation from artisanal communities. Vision Kerala 2047 should institutionalise co-management frameworks where fishing communities participate in setting catch norms, seasonal bans, gear restrictions, and conservation zones. Such models, tested globally, improve compliance and ecological outcomes. For coastal Muslim communities, this restores agency and responsibility rather than dependency.
Second, value-chain upgrading is essential. The economic vulnerability of fishers is less about catching fish and more about capturing value. Much of the margin accrues to intermediaries, processors, and exporters. Vision Kerala 2047 should support fisher-led cooperatives and enterprises in cold storage, processing, branding, and direct-to-market distribution. Coastal Muslim traders already possess commercial networks; linking fishing communities to these networks can retain value locally and stabilise incomes.
Third, marine skill diversification must be prioritised. Fishing alone cannot absorb future labour, especially as ecological constraints tighten. Vision Kerala 2047 should expand skill pathways into boat maintenance, marine electronics, navigation services, coastal logistics, aquaculture management, and marine tourism. These are adjacent skills that build on existing knowledge rather than forcing abrupt occupational shifts. Diversification reduces vulnerability without severing cultural continuity.
Fourth, coastal urbanisation requires sensitive redesign. Many fishing settlements sit on land increasingly exposed to erosion and flooding. Relocation, when necessary, has often been handled poorly, breaking social networks and livelihood access. Vision Kerala 2047 must adopt participatory coastal planning that integrates housing, harbours, markets, and transport in ways that preserve access to the sea while enhancing safety. Fishing communities must be co-designers of this process, not passive recipients of relocation schemes.
Fifth, women’s roles within coastal Muslim communities deserve explicit recognition. Women are central to fish processing, marketing, household financial management, and community cohesion. Yet policy engagement with women remains limited to welfare delivery. Vision Kerala 2047 should support women-led enterprises in processing, value addition, retail, and digital marketing of seafood products. Financial literacy, cooperative leadership training, and access to credit can significantly amplify household resilience.
Sixth, education systems in coastal regions require contextual adaptation. Conventional schooling often alienates fishing youth by devaluing local knowledge and offering little relevance to coastal livelihoods. Vision Kerala 2047 should integrate marine science, environmental studies, and vocational training into coastal education. This creates pathways where formal education enhances, rather than replaces, traditional expertise. A generation that understands both ecology and enterprise is essential for sustainable fisheries.
Seventh, disaster preparedness must move beyond emergency response. Coastal communities are on the frontlines of climate risk. Vision Kerala 2047 should invest in community-based early warning systems, resilient harbour infrastructure, insurance mechanisms, and emergency response training. Fishers are often the first to detect changes in weather and sea conditions. Formalising their role in disaster monitoring strengthens state capacity at minimal cost.
Eighth, policy engagement must overcome the invisibility of coastal Muslims in mainstream development discourse. Their issues are often subsumed under generic coastal or minority frameworks. Vision Kerala 2047 requires targeted representation in marine policy bodies, coastal zone authorities, and climate adaptation planning. Representation here is not symbolic; it ensures that policy reflects lived realities.
There are risks if this shift does not occur. Continued ecological degradation and market exclusion will push younger generations out of fishing without viable alternatives. Coastal economies may hollow out, increasing urban migration and social stress. Kerala would lose not only livelihoods, but a living relationship with the sea that has shaped its history.
Conversely, the opportunity is profound. As global attention turns to sustainable fisheries, blue economies, and climate resilience, Kerala can position itself as a leader by integrating traditional knowledge with modern governance. Coastal Muslim fishing communities can be central to this leadership. Their practices, if supported and upgraded, offer models of low-impact, knowledge-intensive livelihoods suited to a climate-constrained future.
Vision Kerala 2047 is ultimately about alignment. Aligning economic security with ecological sustainability. Aligning local knowledge with state capacity. Aligning dignity with development. Coastal Muslim fishing communities sit at the intersection of these alignments.
Treating them as partners rather than problems is not a concession; it is strategic foresight. The sea will shape Kerala’s future as much as it shaped its past. Those who know the sea best must have a voice in that future.
