Neither “they are fishermen because they are poor” nor “they are poor because they are fishermen”: Lifting fisher people out of poverty or restoring their livelihoods impacted by ‘development’ projects should go beyond what is suggested under the economic and biological paradigm.

Cognitive, social and institutional determinants need to be prudently understood in the design of development interventions. This involves intersectoral processes such as social inclusion, benefit redistribution, capacity building, participation and empowerment.