Kollam, India – Sebastian Stephen has spent his adult life chasing ocean winds and catching fish off the coast of Kollam, in India’s southern state of Kerala.
A stroke two years ago left the 72-year-old fisherman partially paralysed, forcing him to hire others to operate his motorised fishing boat. In recent years, the catch has dwindled for fisherfolk along India’s southwestern coast due to rising sea surface temperatures and increasing extreme weather events, which affect fish food availability and survival rates. This, in turn, has pushed many fishers into debt.
