Hunt for minute species destroys marine life

Selective fishing using kaccha valai (a special net to catch minute sea species) is on the rise in the stretch between Palaverkadu and Alampara fort near Chennai since the annual seasonal movement of rare sea species close to the shore last month. At least 25 boats venture into sea every day from various villages to catch rare sea snails, shells and crustaceans, and each returns with at least 50 kg of sea species every day. "The catch is loaded into private vans immediately and then transported to the nearby processing units. We get the money for our work a week later," says Sahayavelu, a fisherman in Vyalikuppam. About 90 % of these species are exported to countries like China, Singapore and Malaysia.