In a joint operation with the Forest Department, the Indian Coast Guard(ICG) seized 1200kg of sea cucumber off the coast of Mandapam, Ramanathapuram district in Tamil Nadu and apprehended two persons. Sea cucumbers are an important constituent of the coral ecosystem and are categorised as an ‘endangered species’ with their harvest being banned under the Wildlife Protection Act of 2001. They play an important role in maintaining the health of marine ecosystems.
The joint patrol was initiated by ICG and forest Department officials after intelligence was received regarding illegal trans-shipment of Sea cucumber in the late intervening hours of Monday and Tuesday. Operating in the dark of the night, the officials monitored the movement of a suspicious vessel and intercepted it.
Boarding the vessel in the morning hours of Tuesday, officials recovered 100 gunny bags of sea cucumber weighing 1.2 tons and brought the two-crewed vessel to Mandapam North Fishing Harbour. Investigation revealed that the bags of Sea cucumber were meant to be shipped across the International Maritime Boundary Line (KMBL) under the cover of the night.
By excreting inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, they enhance the productivity of benthic animals - those living on the ocean floor. One of the by-products of the sea cucumber's digestion of sand is calcium carbonate, a key component of coral reef. To survive, coral reefs must accumulate calcium carbonate, and thus sea cucumbers play a vital role in their preservation. Sea cucumbers also maintain the transparency of seawater by eating sewage. Feeding and excretion by sea cucumbers also increase alkalinity, which counteracts ocean acidification. Illegal harvesting and overexploitation of these animals leads to poorer sediment health, reduces nutrient recycling and impacts biodiversity.
Much of the sea cucumbers smuggled out of Tamil Nadu go to Sri Lanka and other South-East Asian countries, where they are consumed as food and used to prepare medicines.
