How Ancient Koli Wisdom is Informing Marine Science in Mumbai

Mandwa beach is quiet late in the afternoon in September, its low sandy swells stretching towards the Arabian Sea. Patches of shallow water and rock formations interrupt the smooth wet expanse, creating tidal pools. A faint contiguous outline of the city looms on the watery horizon.

I’m here with the conservation education group Marine Life of Mumbai (MLOM), on a shorewalk to explore Mumbai’s intertidal biodiversity. Pradip Patade, MLOM’s co-founder and director of the Coastal Conservation Foundation (CCF), leads the walk along with oceanographer Raniya Ansari. 

We are a zealous group of 20, peeking here and there under rocks, in pools, wading through sludgy sandbanks, and skirting around winding streams flowing gently into the sea. Here, a menacing-looking clapping crab! A spiky sea urchin! A small octopus clinging to rocks!

As we explore, I notice that Pradip has broken from the group and ventured closer to the shoreline, where a handful of local fishers with large nets draped across their shoulders are picking their way through the rocky terrain.

“Fishermen are the best guides,” Pradip explains when he rejoins the group after 20 minutes. “Their expertise is rooted in their close connection with the natural world,” he tells me later on a call, “in their experienced knowledge of the sea and its rhythms.” He reveals their deep understanding of tidal patterns, fish behaviour, and the subtle changes in the sea that generally go unnoticed.

 

Reading the sea

Since 2013, Pradip has worked to foster dialogue between local Koli fishers and the scientific community through MLOM. His interest in marine wildlife grew out of conversations with Koli fisherfolk when he was teaching water sports at Girgaum Chowpatty, a public beach in South Mumbai.

“Based only on the colour of the water and the direction of the wind,” he says enthusiastically, “they could predict which types of fish were likely to appear!” These acute observations of natural phenomena have long informed Koli fishing techniques, allowing them to predict the availability of fish and adjust their methods accordingly.

Though informal, this form of ecological awareness offers valuable knowledge and insights into Mumbai’s marine ecosystems, particularly in an era when the city’s waters are growing increasingly unpredictable. As the sea around Mumbai faces new pressures, from rising temperatures to habitat destruction, the Kolis’ adaptive practices might offer key strategies for marine ecosystem management. 

Synthesising traditional wisdom with modern science

While the scientific community tends to rely on empirical data and peer-reviewed studies, the practical experiences of Koli fishers provide real-time insights that can significantly enhance marine science and conservation efforts. Since 2013, collaborations between local fisherfolk and scientific organisations have been bridging the gap between indigenous knowledge and modern science.

Pradip, for instance, has been documenting the behaviours of venomous sea creatures, such as sea snakes, stingrays, and pufferfish, that the Kolis have been handling for centuries. Despite the lack of formal scientific studies on these creatures in the region, Koli fishers have long known how to identify venomous species, when and where they appear, and how to avoid them. “The market only sells what has commercial value, but the Kolis know so much more about what gets caught in their nets and what to avoid,” Pradip remarks.

This collaborative approach has already started bearing fruit. Pradip’s work with MLOM and the National Institute of Oceanography (NIO) has been crucial in gathering data on Mumbai’s marine biodiversity, with Koli fishers often serving as guides and informants. Whether it’s identifying species rarely studied by scientists or pointing out changes in local ecosystems, their honed knowledge has enabled researchers to build a more comprehensive picture of the region’s marine biodiversity and its evolving challenges.

Handling marine wildlife

Beyond their knowledge of fish behaviour, the Kolis also possess crucial practical know-how. For instance, while walking along Girgaum Chowpatty during the monsoon season, Pradip observed Koli fishers expertly detangling venomous sea snakes caught in their nets. “They know that all sea snakes are venomous, so they carefully extract them and release them back into the water,” Pradip tells me.

They also know how to handle stingray, whose venomous tail can cause significant harm, and catfish, which possess venomous dorsal spines. Pradip learnt how to safely handle these species from his Koli acquaintances. “They showed me how to put my thumb under the mouth of the catfish and use two fingers to brace the dorsal fin, allowing me to hold the fish without getting hurt.”

In 2013, during the annual Ganesh Visarjan at Girgaum Chowpatty, Pradip recalls an incident where over 70 people were stung by stingrays in a single day. As a member of the lifeguard team at the time, he tells me, “I saw the panic firsthand.” With limited understanding of how to treat such injuries, many victims required hospital care. This experience revealed to him the critical need for greater public awareness of Mumbai’s marine life and its hazards, and prompted him to document it more systematically. Koli expertise has proved crucial in this project, enabling MLOM to improve public understanding of dangerous marine species through advisories in print and online media, on local beaches, and during shorewalks. 

Building equitable partnerships

Incorporating traditional ecological knowledge into scientific research and conservation practice is more than just a nod to indigenous communities — it’s a practical necessity in addressing the complex challenges facing Mumbai’s intertidal ecologies. As coastal cities like Mumbai confront the mounting threats of climate change, coastal development, overfishing, and pollution, the integration of indigenous knowledge with scientific research will prove essential to building resilient coastlines and marine ecosystems.

Shaunak Modi, co-founder of MLOM, notes the importance of ensuring that indigenous voices are heard and valued fairly. “There’s a greater need to acknowledge the Kolis’ contributions and make them stakeholders in the scientific community,” he says. Giving due credit to the ways in which Koli traditional knowledge has expanded scientific understanding — such as through attribution in papers or speaking engagements at conferences — is crucial for cultivating just partnerships that ultimately lead to better science and more effective conservation.

By fostering dialogue and collaboration between seemingly disparate groups, organisations like MLOM are ensuring that Koli wisdom informs science and decision-making on Mumbai’s shores. This approach not only bolsters research and conservation efforts but also honours the lived wisdom of the Kolis, the traditional stewards of Mumbai’s waters, who have coexisted with its marine life for centuries.