Fisheries sector occupies a very important place in the socio-economic development of the country. It has been recognized as a powerful income and employment generator as it stimulates growth of a number of subsidiary industries and is a source of cheap and nutritious food besides emerging as an important item of export trade. This sector is thus an important source of livelihood for a large section of economically backward population of the country, particularly in the coastal areas.The focus of the paper was to investigate theliving conditions of fisher men in Tiruchendurtaluk. In order to perform the analysis on the socio – economic status of the fisher folk, the coastal area of Tiruchendur taluk , in Thoothukudi district were selected. Percentages, tables, Gini ratio, Chi-square test and average were used owing to the constraints imposed by the nature of data. The simple random sampling technique was used. Secondary data have been collected from books, journals, newspapers, internet and periodicals. It reveals that 8.61% of the respondents satisfied monthly income between Rs.1000-2000, 19.38% of the respondent’s satisfied income between Rs.2000-3000, 12.04% of the respondents’ satisfied income Rs.3000-4000 and 59.97% of the respondent’s satisfied income Rs.4000-5000 respectively.In order to find out whether there is any correlation between the income of the respondents and their level of satisfaction, chi-square test has been applied. As the calculated value of Chi-square is greater than the table value at 5 per cent level of significance, there is a relationship between income of the respondents and their level of satisfaction in the study area. The results obtained from this survey revealed that the living conditions of respondents remain poor and almost unchanging in recent years. Off- season unemployment is more in the selected area of Tiruchendur taluk. Concerted action by government agencies, local bodies, trade unions, and voluntary organization with the active support, co-operation and participation of the respondents is required for solving the issues and for the growth and development of the sector.

Keywords: Fisheries Sector; Aquatic Productivity; Prawn Culture; Pearl Chunk Fishing; Technical Guidance.