Nalini Nayak has been working with the fish workers movement in Kerala, and at national and international level, since over 30 years. She was trained in social work at the TISS in Mumbai and has worked as an activist and researcher in fisheries as well as in medical social work and self employed women.

She has been working with Programme for community Organisation (PCO Centre), International Collective in Support of Fish workers (ICSF) and National Fishworkers Forum (NFF) as well as NAPM. She has organised many programmes, especially on Women in Fisheries and published widely on organisational problems of fish workers.