Who are we?
Friends of Marine Life (FML) is a coastal Indigenous civil society organization which has been undertaking the underwater studies related to seabed ecology, biodiversity documentation, preparation of People’s Marine Biodiversity Register (PMBR), under water cleanups, ocean literacy programs, costal history documentation etc. in Trivandrum, Kerala, South India. Since 2012 the study findings are being out the coastal community knowledge on their seabed and ecosystem that is usually been explained in their costal dialect which has been a great barrier for the scientific community in interpreting and utilizing their knowledge. FML has a team of SCUBA diving crew which is capable of taking up underwater exploration studies to the maximum of 43-meter depth. Also FML is one of the special accredited organizations of United Nations to support the implementation of Sustainable Development Goal:14 conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
Vision and Mission
The fishing community are treasure house of good traditional knowledge on seabed ecosystems as they depend on such ecosystems for their livelihood for generations, but unfortunately this knowledge has not yet been utilized in marine researches. According to traditional fishing community the seabed ecosystem is fragile, biodiversity rich and is sensitive which have been sustainably used by the local fisher folk over generations. Nowadays both impacts of climate change and myriads of anthropogenic activities are menacing the ocean health. On this context, it is necessary to document the present situation of the geo – morphological and biological condition of seabed. Thus, strong steps can be taken to freeze any further unscientific human interventions in the name of costal constructions or destructive fishing methods that threaten the life of marine ecosystems and fishers as well. FML realized the importance of conducting seabed studies with fishing community participation which will also be furnished with citizen science.
What We Do
Ocean Cleanups
Many of our waste products end up in the sea. This includes visible litter as well as invisible waste such as chemicals from personal care products and pharmaceuticals that we flush down our drains and toilets. These pollutants can move through the Ocean, endangering marine life through entanglement, Ingestion and intoxication.
When we visit coastal areas, engage in activities in the sea and eat seafood, we too can be exposed to marine pollution that harm our health. We can all help to reduce marine pollution by changing our consumption patterns and reducing, reusing, and recycling our waste.
Ocean literacy
The ocean is a source of food, energy, minarals, it regulates the Earth's climate and host the greatest diversity of life and ecosystems, and is a provider of economic, social and aesthetic services to humankind. Knowing and understanding the ocean's influence on us, and our influence on the ocean is crucial to living and acting sustainably. This is the essence of ocean literacy.
People's Marine Biodiversity Register
Marine biological diversity or marine biodiversity comprises the wealth of ocean plants, animals, fungi, and microorganisms. To conserve and sustainably use the ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development it need species and ecosystem based documentation.
The current ocean studies are focussed upon the individual species within the ocean and the researchers are found to be specialised in those particular species. On other hand, the fishermen see the ocean in its totality or it is a whole being. Such information rarely appears in the literature. There is a visible gap in this field. Not only that the non - indigenous researchers have limited understanding of the fishermen's language and culture that could be developed as result of marine biodiversity related features and their defferent cultural roots.
