In the net: Fishermen land their catch at Mandapam beach; (below) seahorses are hunted for their alleged aphrodisiac properties

The Gulf of Mannar, a large body of water between Tamil Nadu and Sri Lanka, is a tropical paradise with golden beaches, perfect blue waters and coral reefs that resemble surreal underwater forests. The region’s fishermen have been trawling these waters for millennia. History has references to Roman emperors who sent their trade ships here for the pearls that the ancestors of these fishermen dredged up.

But while the pearls that so enamoured Caesars past no longer exist, the Gulf of Mannar continues to be a source of another luxury item: ornamental fish. Over the past few years, the demand for the colourful, exotic seawater fish has been skyrocketing.

However, along with the legitimate trade in such fish, the region has also become home to a thriving racket in poaching. According to the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, and the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna, many species in the gulf are banned from being traded. This includes seahorses, sea cucumbers, corals and some other marine flora and fauna.

The poachers themselves rarely go out to sea. Local fishermen, with whom they have forged ties, do most of that work. According to Saif, a fisherman from the village of Vedalai in Tamil Nadu, these banned fishes are often caught as by-catch when the fishermen bring in their usual haul of food fish. Most of the time, they are tossed aside. But some see this as an opportunity to make some money on the side.

The money to be made is not to be scoffed at either. For example, seahorses and sea cucumbers are in huge demand in China, Japan and Malayasia for their use in herbal medicine. Two to three tonnes of seahorse, which is believed to be an aphrodisiac, can sell for as much as Rs 15 crore.

Coral is another item that is greatly in demand. Though it is illegal to take corals out of the sea, the distinctive purple and brown finger coral of the gulf can be seen gracing the aquariums of high-end hotels in and around Rameshwaram.

But S. Narayan, regional deputy-director at the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau, Chennai, says this isn’t true. “We have been increasing the number of personnel in the region, and have begun working with the local fishermen to halt the problem.”

Part of the reason for the rampant poaching is the poverty of the fisherfolk. Food fish just do not fetch as high a price as the banned varieties. It doesn’t help either that year by year, the amount of catch from the ocean is falling. Moreover, many of them are drowning in debt, thanks to the money they borrow from loan sharks to buy fishing equipment such as nets, lures or even a small boat. As Saif puts it, “The choice is between feeding my family and starving, and I choose to feed my family.”

The ministry of environment and forests hasn’t been too successful in checking poaching either. It has only four forest rangers to supervise all 10,500 sqkm of the gulf — one in the town of Ramnad and one each for the Keelakarai, Mandapam and Thoothukudi villages — all in Ramanathapuram district. What’s more, the rangers lack appropriate equipment to do their job. One ranger does his underwater photography by sealing a regular point and clicking his camera in a plastic bag with duct tape, hoping for the best when doing his weekly survey of the islands’ coral reefs.

Most of the poached goods are first processed — cleaned, dried and steamed — before being transported out by bus. They are usually put on to the many tourist buses that shuttle between Madurai and Rameshwaram. From Madurai, they are either flown out or are once again transported by bus to Chennai. Once in Chennai, the middlemen pass their goods to their contacts in the ports, who then smuggle the stuff out of the country.

But it’s not just Indian fishermen who poach in the Gulf of Mannar. Narayan reveals that Sri Lankan fishermen often enter Indian waters (the gulf stradles both Indian and Sri Lankan territorial waters) to make their catch.

“They sometimes enter Indian waters, fish whatever they want, and then transfer their catch at sea. That allows them to bypass any regulations on fishing for certain species they would face if they landed their catch at a port,” says Narayan. Indian poachers too are increasingly resorting to mid-sea transfers, he adds.

Though poaching is rampant in the Gulf of Mannar, experts insist that it’s almost impossible to grasp its scope and size. “There are no official figures on the volume of poaching,”says Narayan. “We know that the white sea cucumber is traded more than the black sea cucumber, or that sea cucumbers are poached more than sea horses because they are easier to catch and more numerous. But other than that, we really can’t say.”

According to A. Murugan, a marine biologist who has extensively studied the wildlife of the Gulf of Mannar, the problem is large enough to destroy the region’s ecosystem. “You have tonnes of species being taken out, and there’s almost nothing being done to check it. Combined with the over-fishing of non-banned species, we’re looking at a major ecological disaster in the making,” he says.

The seizure of poached marine life is also few and far between. About a year and a half ago an attempt to smuggle sea cucumbers through Bangalore airport was foiled. A few months later, officials seized a shipment of seahorses being smuggled out of Chennai airport. And five years ago, a boat carrying a cargo of red chillies to Singapore was found to have around two to three tonnes of seahorses hidden under a layer of chillies.

Clearly, the government needs to take some serious steps to combat the poaching that’s going on here. Else, the underwater paradise of the Gulf of Mannar may soon become an underwater wasteland.