Coastal fishers in Tamil Nadu are forgoing hunting practices and instead increasingly rescuing dolphins, turtles, and dugongs during nearshore fishing operations. Long-term ecological knowledge, combined with fishing methods such as shore seine and hook-and-line fishing, enables rapid release of bycatch and adaptive responses to changing marine conditions. Incentive schemes, social recognition, and youth participation have reinforced conservation practices, even as conflicts and economic losses persist. The views in the commentary are that of the authors.