Dataset on Marketing Gaps, Infrastructure Deficits, and Welfare Challenges in Artisanal Fishing Communities: Survey Data from Coastal Tamil Nadu, India

This article presents a structured primary survey dataset capturing the marketing realities, logistical constraints, occupational health experiences, and welfare perceptions of artisanal fishing communities across the coastal belt of Tamil Nadu, India. A total of 280 respondents were surveyed between April 16 and 21, 2025, using a pre-tested, 23-variable questionnaire translated into Tamil and administered on paper with field-assisted completion. The instrument spans five thematic domains: socio-demographic and occupational characteristics; seafood distribution channels and marketing challenges; physical and logistical infrastructure requirements; healthcare access and occupational health burden; and food safety practices alongside welfare improvement priorities. Respondents encompassed active fishermen engaged across traditional, mechanized, and aquaculture modalities, though artisanal practitioners constitute the dominant share. The dataset reveals pronounced middleman dependency, acute cold chain infrastructure deficits, limited food safety training coverage, and substantial barriers to healthcare access among coastal fishing households. These data are amenable to quantitative analysis involving logistic regression, structural equation modelling, and value chain mapping, and are intended to support researchers, policymakers, and development practitioners working at the intersection of aquaculture economics, rural livelihoods, and sustainable supply chain management.