Sassoon Dock Walk, Mumbai
On 16 November, we met at the main gate of Sassoon Dock in Colaba, just after the first rays of light. Aditya, from No Footprints, enlightened us with the basics: Sassoon Dock was built in 1875 by the Sassoon trading family—Baghdadi Jewish merchants whose investments shaped much of colonial Bombay’s commercial infrastructure. The opening of the Suez Canal for traffic in 1869 had established a new sea trade route between Europe and India, reducing the distance by half and revolutionising maritime trade.
Excavated out of solid rock by the company of Sir David Sassoon, the dock in South Mumbai took advantage of this, becoming the first wet dock constructed for commercial purposes in the city.
No Footprints is an organisation that offers tour experiences that spotlight community-based stories and cultural practices that are waning due to the constant urbanisation of our cities. Their work involves finding these narratives and making them part of mainstream conversations through walks like this one.
On the Sassoon Dock Walk, we tried to understand traditional fishing practices of the Koli community, learned facts about different fish, their breeding seasons and culinary uses, and saw how ice sustains the trade and travel of fish across the city.
Inside the dock
When we walk inside, it is evident that everything runs on muscle and timing. Trucks reverse up to the quays, men pull orange crates onto hand-pulled carts, and the loud voices auctioning fresh fish cut across the salty air. Koli women are here at dawn to buy and resell fish—domestic trade happens in quick, crowded bursts under the shed. What might appear messy to an outsider is actually a well-orchestrated schedule followed daily.
Boats, Ice, and Nets
At one of the boats, men began to load large blocks of ice into the hold. Aditya explains: more ice means a longer stint at sea; less ice means a shorter trip. There is arithmetic and economics tied to each catch.
Nearby, we see two Koli men repairing a net by hand. The mesh is wide, and deliberately so. As Aditya says, “Small fish need to get out, or there’s nothing for next season.” Practical conservation is built into their routine.
Export Sheds and the Global Pull
Walking through the export sheds at Sassoon Dock, the smell of bleach mingles with the brine of fresh shrimp. Workers move under harsh tubelights, grading, cleaning, and packing the day’s catch. The rhythm is methodical, almost hypnotic. Aditya mentions that orders bound for the United States have noticeably slowed down. Exporters are already warning of fewer orders and shrinking margins, and are scrambling for non-US markets. But on the floor, the impact is immediate: quieter lines, reduced noise, and the sense that a global policy change has hit the dock before most people outside have even heard about it.
Warehouses and the Rent Dispute
A few of the godowns along the dock were shut. The Mumbai Port Authority (MbPA) recently sealed several warehouses at Sassoon Dock over non-payment of rent.
These units typically handle export-grade sorting and storage. Their closure has reduced processing capacity and interrupted routine workflows. Workers who depend on daily shifts—including many from the Koli community—have reported a sudden loss of income. For them, the dispute translates directly into fewer working days and stalled earnings.
Domestic Dock: What the City Actually Eats
By mid-morning the action is already winding down. The chaos of the early hours—bargaining, sorting, loading—had almost come to an end, and the dock is quieter than when we arrived.
What remains now are crates of surmai, marlin, pomfret, Bombay Duck (bombil), bangda—and a few large croakers (ghol). A big ghol stood out, and Aditya went on to explain that its swim bladder—or maw—is a high-value item, sold into pharmaceutical, nutraceutical, and cosmetic supply chains. This gland makes larger ghols more valuable than many other fish of similar size, and the prices at the dock reflects that.
Carts roll off slowly, buyers negotiate, fish are iced and sent off to local markets. With the early-morning swarm gone, we end with the aftermath: a quieter dock, crates being counted, and men cleaning up remains of the day’s catch.
Shrey Ghate
Gautam Doshi is a photographer and a multimedia and data journalist. His photographic work has been exhibited at Khoj Studios in Delhi, and the Indian Photography Festival in Hyderabad. He has authored stories across formats for various publications. As a self-taught visual artist, he is always looking for ways to expand his practice.
Learn more about the Mumbai Koli Project.
Learn more about No Footprints.
At The Locavore, we love planning and executing events that highlight India’s diverse local foods, celebrating community, sustainability, and cultural heritage. Our events feature engaging workshops, discussions, immersive experiences and other formats that connect you to India’s rich food culture. Interested in collaborating or having us organise an event? Reach out at connect@thelocavore.in.
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