‎This case study looked at the political struggles of an association of fresh fish sellers in Udupi district, Karnataka State, India. In this association, women organize themselves in order to preserve their means of subsistence, through the sale of fish, and to defend their right to state protection and social benefits. Women working in the fishing sector in Udupi have been able to collectively mobilize political support, through caste and communal networks. They have been able to prevent the establishment of capital-intensive fish shops from deducing their livelihoods in Udupi, by putting pressure on the State not to grant licences to these department stores that endanger their livelihoods. Temporary negotiations with the district administration have allowed female fishers to continue to sell fish, in a context strongly marked by capitalism and patriarchy and while the retail sale of fish outside Udupi is increasingly monopolized by large capital-rich companies.