The study presents a case study of Chilika lagoon, India and focuses on the interaction between small-scale
fishermen and middlemen. The small-scale fishermen have been exploited by specific middlemen and the underlying
causes of the present fish marketing structure stem from indebtedness and the unstable situation because of
perpetual conflicts over fishery resources among the fishers across Chilika lagoon. Climate change combined with
human activities poses significant risks to people’s livelihood especially in developing countries. Adaptation at the
community level is of crucial importance in enabling them to respond to the direct and indirect effects of changes in
climate. In a case study of fishing communities in Chilika lagoon, India, the focus is made on understanding climate
change adaptation at the community level and scaling it up into the policy perspective through application of
Sustainable Livelihood Approach. This article challenges the research and policy community to encourage the
identification of locally negative constraints and positive strengths toward climate resilient communities in rural
areas. The social capital impacts fisheries management at the local level in Chilika Lake located in the state of
Odisha in India. In Chilika, the different fishing groups established norms and “rules of the game” including, but not
limited to, spatial limits that determine who can fish and in what areas, temporal restrictions about when and for how
long people may fish, gear constraints about what harvesting gear may be used by each group, and physical controls
on size and other characteristics of fish that may be harvested. The members of fishing groups have shown that the
bonding social capital is strong within the Chilika fishing groups. Bonding and bridging social capital keeps the
fishers together in times of resource scarcity, checks violations of community rules and sanctions, and strengthens
the community fisheries management. In contrast, linking social capital in Chilika appears to be weak, as is evident
from the lack of trust in external agencies, seeking the help of formal institutions for legal support, and increasing
conflicts. Trust and cooperation among fishers is crucial in helping to build the social capital. A social capital
perspective on fisheries governance suggests that there should be a rethinking of priorities and funding mechanisms,
from “top-down” fisheries management towards “co-management” with a focus on engendering rights and responsibilities
for fishers and their communities.