Rethinking Seafood Consumption
● Online | 21 November 2025 | 5:00–6:30 pm
This Beyond the Plate session focused on the urban consumer’s plate, examining how our seafood choices shape marine biodiversity, local livelihoods, and culinary diversity. It particularly addressed how consumers can think about seafood seasonality and sourcing, what it means to eat in a way that supports biodiversity and local livelihoods, and the disconnect between the abundance in our seas and what appears on our plates.
Meet Our Panellists
Dr. Aaron Savio Lobo, Naturalist, Marine Conservation Scientist
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Aaron is a naturalist at heart and a marine conservation scientist by training. He completed his PhD from the University of Cambridge. His work has largely focused on understanding the ecological and social impacts of seafood production, developing solutions through policy and practice, and leading projects across diverse countries and contexts.
Know more about Aaron’s work here.
“We're chasing a kind of a limited resource that is shrinking. And to adapt to this declining resource, fleets have to go further out. [...] It's a high-risk game.”
Aaron discussed the prominent role seafood production plays in India, where fisheries sustain the livelihoods of millions, encompass a diverse variety of species and fishing practices, and play a crucial role in food and nutrition security. Tracing key developments, and the entry of private players at the expense of traditional communities, he explained how the industry has come to pose some of the biggest threats to marine ecosystems today. While consumer choices alone are insufficient to protect seafood stocks, Aaron highlighted that making informed decisions about seafood consumption and eating seasonally can help us develop a nuanced understanding of marine conservation.
Dr. Divya Karnad, Co-Founder, InSeason Fish
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Dr. Divya Karnad promotes marine conservation through InSeason Fish, a sustainable seafood initiative that she co-founded to connect local fishers, chefs, and consumers to promote seasonal, sustainable, and shark-safe seafood supply chains. She is an interdisciplinary researcher whose work spans marine conservation and social science. Her research involves studies of marine conservation, especially of sharks and rays, fisheries management in the Global South, the geography of seafood, seafood commons, Illegal, Unregulated and Unreported (IUU) fishing, Local Ecological Knowledge (LEK), and participatory action research. Beyond research, Divya also works on conservation outreach and education initiatives.
Read our interview with Divya Karnad here: The Marine Conservationist Reviving Lost Connections
“Consumption is sort of the tip of the iceberg.”
Divya drew from her experiences organising walks at fish markets and harbours in Chennai, which attracted diverse audiences—including those who don’t consume seafood—to highlight a growing curiosity among urban audiences. While activism surrounding coastal issues is often led by these communities, she emphasised that “as people who are part of that food chain, part of that supply chain, it’s important that we also take on such responsibilities.”
Rajhans and Harsha Tapke, Koli Community Leaders
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Rajhans and Harsha Tapke are community leaders from Mumbai’s Versova Koliwada who work to preserve and share Koli culture through food, advocacy, and storytelling. Rajhans is a founding member of the Versova Koli Seafood Festival, editor of Sagar Shakti, and an active voice on issues affecting the Koli community. Harsha is a fisherwoman, entrepreneur, and home chef known for her authentic Koli meals and collaborations with restaurants across Mumbai. Together, they run the YouTube channel Bombay State Fisheries, sharing Koli recipes and traditions.
“Fishermen have to sell [their catch] for a lesser price or face losses—it's a very scary situation.”
Drawing from diverse experiences, Rajhans explained how rising expenses drive Koli fishers farther out into the sea in search of dwindling catch, making it increasingly difficult to recover costs. Moreover, the lack of good storage and processing facilities often leaves the community dependent on middlemen, further shrinking profits. However, through initiatives like the Versova Koli Seafood Festival, many have now begun preparing and selling cooked seafood, which has helped increase incomes while spotlighting Koli culinary heritage. Harsha added that growing consumer interest in eating Koli seafood, far beyond the festival, has encouraged them to accept home orders.
Discussion
• Significant disparities exist within Indian fisheries, with national institutions disproportionately prioritising inland fisheries while overlooking India’s extensive coastline. Moreover, major coastal development projects often exclude coastal communities from decision-making processes, which has led to occupational disruptions.
• The growth of the fisheries sector is often driven by private stakeholders, or those outside traditional fishing communities, who do not possess the same deep ecological knowledge that co-evolved with specific coastal ecosystems.
• Conservation efforts tend to favour homogenous solutions without understanding the intricate dynamics of coastal ecosystems—how fishers themselves possess these solutions, such as knowledge on safely releasing non-target species, for example.
Learnings
• India’s per capita seafood consumption is low when compared to other countries, but is set to double in the next few decades. Most of this demand is expected to be met by aquaculture, which cannot fully replicate either the diversity found in the wild or their nutrient profiles.
• Fish markets built in the 1960s have seen little redevelopment over the decades, resulting in infrastructural conditions that deter consumers from buying fish from these spaces. While some progress is being made, like the redevelopment of the dried fish market in Marol, Mumbai—the largest in Maharashtra—the odour associated with dried fish often dissuades consumers. Harsha, however, noted that immersing fish in warm water reduces its smell as well as the cooking time.
• Many fishers, especially those operating at small scales, lack the capital needed to enter supply chains, which means their catch rarely reaches supermarkets and online platforms. To support traditional fishing, consumers can buy from traditional markets instead, where communities directly sell their catch.
Read about the Mumbai Koli Project, here.
Beyond the Plate is an initiative by The Locavore where we engage in meaningful conversations, live events, and dining experiences that look at food beyond the sum of its parts. It is our attempt to narrow the divide between what’s on our plate, where it comes from, how it’s produced, and the deeper stories around it.
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