Mandapam (Tamil Nadu), March 5 (IANS) The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) Station Mandapam executed a rapid and successful anti-smuggling operation in the coastal waters off Vedalai, seizing around 280 kg of illegally harvested sea cucumbers, an official said.
The action on March 3 came after the ICG received credible intelligence inputs, enabling swift deployment of an Air Cushion Vessel from the station.
The team intercepted the consignment in the near-shore waters, preventing what could have been another significant loss to India's marine biodiversity. Sea cucumbers, soft-bodied echinoderms commonly known as holothurians, are among the most heavily protected marine species in the country.
Listed under “Schedule-I” of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — the same category as tigers and other critically endangered animals — their harvesting, possession, and trade are strictly prohibited except under special scientific permits.
The high level of protection stems from decades of over-exploitation driven by booming international demand, especially in China, Hong Kong, Japan, and other East and Southeast Asian markets.
Dried sea cucumbers, marketed as beche-de-mer or trepang, fetch premium prices as a luxury delicacy and traditional medicine ingredient, sometimes valued at lakhs of rupees per kilogram in black-market trade.
This has turned regions like the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay into persistent hotspots for smuggling networks, often involving cross-border routes to Sri Lanka and beyond. Sea cucumbers play a vital ecological role as "janitors" of the ocean floor.
They act as deposit feeders, ingesting sediment, breaking down organic matter, recycling nutrients, and excreting nutrient-rich waste that supports coral reefs, seagrass beds, and overall benthic health.
Their “bioturbation activity” prevents organic buildup, reduces bacterial mats, and enhances productivity in nutrient-poor tropical waters.
Removal of these animals disrupts sediment dynamics, potentially leading to degraded habitats and reduced resilience in fragile ecosystems like the Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve.
Following the seizure, the entire 280 kg consignment was formally handed over to the “Forest Department” on March 4, 2026, for legal processing, documentation, and further action under wildlife laws.
This incident underscores the ICG's heightened vigilance in the Palk Strait–Gulf of Mannar corridor, where multiple sea cucumber seizures have occurred in recent years.
The force maintains constant patrols with fast interception vessels to counter poaching and trafficking syndicates exploiting marine resources.
While no immediate arrests were detailed in the operation report, authorities are expected to pursue investigations to dismantle the supply chain behind such activities.
The ICG reiterated its commitment to intensified coastal surveillance, anti-poaching drives, and collaboration with other agencies to protect endangered marine species and preserve India's coastal ecosystems for future generations.
--IANS
sktr/pgh
