More than 13,000 fishermen were killed and another 5,000 evacuated in Sri Lanka alone, with 80% of the fishing fleet lost or severely damaged. On the Thai coast, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, 4,500 fishing vessels were smashed, jeopardizing the livelihoods of 120,000 people in fishing villages there.
野生动植物的境遇也许比自然环境要好一点。由于鱼类养殖业受到大规模破坏，这点在鱼类种群身上尤为明显。一万三千多名渔夫死于海啸，另有五千名渔夫撤离至斯里兰卡，80%的渔船队失踪或严重损坏。在泰国海边，据联合国食品和农业组织报告，4,500艘捕鱼船被击得粉碎，沿海渔村约有120,000人遇险。