ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on environmental and climate change impacts on fishermen community and on the socio-economic profile of Pulicat lake villages. The small scale fisheries sector is mostly the livelihood occupation of the group of population within the extreme poverty that leads to a serious social and economic issues. Acidification of water, sea level rise, storms, floods and drought will severely affect the production of fishes. The finding of the current study is revealed that 10.5% of the respondents were of age below 25 whereas 63% of the respondents were between the age group 25 and 50. Fishing remains a hazardous and stressful occupations its present difficult physical conditions, dislocation, isolation and less than ideal personal habits. Ecological crisis which includes drastic topographical and hydrological changes has brought several marine species to decline in numbers/not seen any more in the lake. Pulicat lake faces several anthropogenic, industrial and environmental issues threatening out only the livelihoods of fisher folk.
