Abstract
This article is written in the style of a personal statement sketching my involvement in the fishery sector of Kerala state, India, over a span of three decades. Initially, this involvement was as a professional helping small–scale fishers to organize village–level marketing cooperatives. Later the involvement changed to one of a researcher and policy adviser dealing contemporaneously in the local, national and international realms. By adopting a schematized diachronic narrative, this article provides a glimpse of the manner in which the fishery became unsustainable. It also outlines the interrelated hurdles which come in the way of moving to sustainability.