Chennai, Oct 13 (BPNS)
The Tamil Nadu forest department has commenced a major campaign on conservation of Sea Cucumbers which are designated as an endangered species under Schedule 1 of Wild Life Protection Act of 1972.
It may be noted that even after several measures were taken by the forest department the smuggling of Sea Cucumbers continues unabated across the shores of Tamil Nadu. Sea Cucumbers are in high demand across the globe and there is demand for both live and processed Sea Cucumbers.
According to a senior forest officer, the smugglers resort to collecting the Sea Cucumbers that get trapped in fishing nets and even at times use shallow nets, so that Sea Cucumbers are caught in plenty.
The Forest department registered 30 cases in the Mandapam range which comes under Ramanathapuram area in 2022. The official said that around 9 tonnes of Sea Cucumber were caught in 2022 alone even after several tough measures were taken.
The department will now conduct awareness programmes across the coastal line on the preservation and conservation of endangered species. The campaign will be conducted among fishermen, fishermen unions, boat owners, and fish sellers on the importance of Sea Cucumber and why it should not be hunted and smuggled out of the country.
The Tamil Nadu forest department will also rope in the services of marine biologists and deliver talks and lectures on the need for Sea Cucumber protection.
However, a section of the fishermen’s community told BPNS that after two decades odd conservation efforts, the Sea Cucumber population has drastically increased and called upon the government and the forest department to lift the ban.
