India, July 8 -- It's 4:30am, and Devdas Salian is carefully inspecting the ladyfish neatly laid out on a white wooden board at Sassoon Dock. As head chef at Trishna - the Fort restaurant whose clientele ranges from heads of state to regular, seafood-loving Mumbaiites - this is part of his early morning routine. With an hour to go before the auctions kick off, Salian is making sure the ladyfish meets his exacting standards. It has to - 'Lady Fish Hyderabadi' is the showstopper on today's menu, and he's counting on it to deliver.

But, lately, Salian has been a little on edge. If the Mumbai Port Authority's (MbPA) ultimatum to the dock's warehouse operators kicks in, it won't just shake things up for him - seafood menus across Mumbai, and ...