Before the Storm: Traditional Ecological Knowledge Among Kachhi Fishers in Urban Karachi

Kachhi fishers in Karachi's urban harbor possess rich Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) developed through generations of interaction with coastal and marine environments. But this knowledge is under pressure. This thesis examines how urbanization, coastal pollution, and technology are reshaping what fishers know and how they pass it on. The study draws on 35 semi-structured interviews with fishers from Baba, Bhitt, and Manora Islands across three generations of fishing experience. Using storm prediction as the primary focus, the research documents how experienced fishers integrate wind direction, cloud formations, sea surface conditions, bodily sensations, and celestial navigation to anticipate dangerous weather. This system was historically transmitted through apprenticeship in near-shore waters. However, clear generational differences emerge. Most younger fishers rely primarily on GPS devices, weather apps, and institutional radio forecasts. They cannot identify the traditional storm indicators their fathers and grandfathers use routinely. The findings reveal that changes in knowledge transmission stem from converging pressures. Severe coastal pollution has eliminated near-shore learning environments where novices once practiced observation. Institutional forecasting systems and digital tools have become central to decision-making at sea, reducing the perceived need for personal environmental observation. In this urban context, traditional knowledge is not simply disappearing. It is being reorganized from an integrated, multisensory system into more fragmented and technologically dependent forms of risk assessment. By situating storm prediction within a rapidly changing coastal megacity, this thesis contributes to understanding TEK persistence, intergenerational transmission breakdown, and the spatial conditions necessary for sustaining embodied ecological knowledge systems.