2 days ago
Fishing nets catch more plastic than fish off Thiruvananthapuram coast
T'puram: The fisherfolk who cast their nets off the state capital's coast have started to pull in more plastic than fish in the last few days.
The situation became particularly dire after the week-long heavy rain at the end of last month.
The plastic waste expelled by lakes and rivers following the downpour is now entering the sea, affecting fish resources, say fisherfolk.
"The fisherfolk from Vizhinjam have been getting too much plastic in their nets in the last few days. It's mostly plastic covers, bottles, caps, and other items," said Sadic Ali, a fisherman and a volunteer with the NGO Friends of Marine Life (FML).
The fisherfolk on the coast use small boats and two types of nets.
One hugs the seabed and is ideal for catching crabs, stingrays, dry Malabar thryssa (manangu), sardines, and others. The other type of net, which is tied with stones and hangs a little above the seabed, is used to catch mackerel, white fish, and a few other species.
There are around 50 to 60 fisherfolk who use such nets in Vizhinjam. They are getting only plastic waste recently, hinting that plastic pollution is prevalent on the seabed.
by Taboola
by Taboola
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The fisherfolk, who have faced a dwindling catch over the years, are worried that an increase in plastic waste on the seabed will harm fish habitat and corals.
FML's Ali says that fisherfolk often dump the plastic waste back into the sea — creating a cyclical process.
Ali says that the authorities can at least sensitise the fisherfolk on safe disposal of plastic.
"The plastic seems to be swirling about because of the unusual movement of current.
This is impacting the small fishermen. This shows that the pollution prevention measures should not focus only on land, and scientific institutions should be keener," said Robert Panipilla of FML.
A group of scientists recently flagged plastic pollution as the biggest threat to marine ecosystems. According to them, a staggering amount of plastic debris, originating from human activities on the land, is increasingly reaching oceans. Marine scientists warned that this influx of plastics poses an escalating danger to coastal ecosystems and to the livelihood of small-scale fishers.
The coast is already affected by millions of plastic pellets washed ashore from the containers of the ship MSC ELSA 3 that sank off the Alappuzha coast.
