World Fisheries Day is celebrated on November 21^st every year. This year, the Fish for All Centre at Poompuhar organised an online consultation along with the TamilNadu fisher-folk from Mayiladuthurai, Rameswaram, Tuticorin and Cuddalore Districts. The event was designed to recognise and address the challenges of small-scale fisherwomen.

Fisherwomen involved in small-scale fisheries are producers, head loaders, back water fishers, seaweed collectors, shore seine operators, dry fish producers and salt pan workers, and they spoke about issues faced by them.

Experts at the consultation included: Dr Noorjagan Beevi, Additional Director (Marine), Department of Fisheries, Government of TamilNadu, Dr G Arul Oli, Assistant Professor, Department of Fisheries Extension, Economics and Statistics, Fisheries College and Research Institute (TNJFU), Tuticorin, and Dr S Velvizhi, Head of MSSRF Fish for All Research and Training Centre, Poompuhar, addressed the issues put forth by the fisherwomen.

A total of 133 participants attended the online consultation.

Available opportunities for transportation issues expressed by head loaders, marketing problems by dry fish producers, occupational health issues, and alternative livelihood issues by backwater fishers, seaweed collectors and salt pan workers were evident during the consultation.