Action research by the University of Sussex is bringing fishermen and scientists together to track wind, and waves and save lives. Seen from the air, Thiruvananthapuram, the capital city of Kerala state in south India, looks like a magic carpet – a long strip of golden sand separating a vast green canopy of coconut palms and the turquoise shimmer of the Arabian Sea. These sandy shores are home to the largest concentration of artisanal marine fishers in this part of the world – 42 villages spread along a 48-mile coastline. Many of these fishers are poor.