This paper attempts to study the lifestyle of the ramponkars, a traditional fishing community of Goa, and the effect of modernisation on their socio-economic position. The ramponkars' agitation is a classic case of a conflict against marginalisation and exploitation of marine resources. The exploitation itself was a collective design wherein the state was aligned with the mechanised trawler owners, and displayed a lackadaisical approach towards the ramponkars' problems. The ramponkars have, after a long battle, succeeded in getting their demands on implementing an exclusion zone for trawlers and on monsoon fishing. However, the recent technological changes adopted by the traditional fisherfolk themselves are unsustainable and will ultimately result in the intensification of the 'tragedy of the commons'.
