Unlawful practices adopted by conch divers in collecting fossilised chanks or conch shells from the seabeds off the Gulf of Mannar coast have caused fear among environmentalists, who state that the use of mechanical appliances, like compressors for breathing and jet compressor sprayers to comb the seafloor for dead chanks, could endanger the marine ecosystem.
Conch diving, an ancient pearl fishing-like activity that is widely practised in Thoothukudi coastal district, offers livelihood to at least 5,000 families residing in the Trespuram and Mettupatti areas of Thoothukudi town, and the collected chanks are of good demand in Kolkata. Chank fishing is carried out 10 to 12 nautical miles off the Thoothukudi coast in the territorial waters by divers with traditional knowledge to identify chank fishing grounds in the mid-sea. Usually, the chank season falls between September and February. The state fisheries department has issued over 165 licenses to collect chanks through skin diving methods (which involves diving deep into the waters by holding breath, and coming out quickly after collecting few conches), sources said.
However, with the advancement of technology over the years, conch divers started using leg pads, goggles and compressors, dive deep into the sea at a depth of 30-40 feet, and comb the seabed with their padded legs. “We dig trenches nearly four feet deep and 10 feet wide in the seabed, and often find only 15 to 20 conches a day,” said a diver on conditions of anonymity. It may be noted that a single conch shell could fetch as much as Rs 1,000, depending on its whiteness and polish surface.
Speaking to TNIE, some conch divers opined that the use of modern equipment have enabled them to comb the seabed for longer intervals. “Many divers can now stay underwater for nearly one-and-a-half hour with the aid of compressor hoses for breathing, while skin diving permits us not more than 90 seconds under water. However, it is not a healthy practice and has even led to increased mortality rates among young divers,” they noted.
Furthermore, divers have begun using jet compressor sprayers, which could blow out air at high pressures, smash soil cover and thereby disturb benthic organisms. It could also break coral reefs present in the ecologically significant Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere, sources said.
Considering the scenario, an activist told TNIE that the government must consider permitting scuba diving for chank collection, and sought a ban on the practice of digging seabeds using leg pads. “Though skin diving need not be restricted as it is a traditional method, conch divers should not be allowed to dive with arms like rods and pads on legs,” the activist added. “The conch shells collected from the Gulf of Mannar are Indian sacred chank (Turbinella pyrum). The divers mainly exploit the seabed here, through destructive methods, in pursuit of fossilised Turbinella pyrum, also known as vellai sangu,” stated a woman scientist of the Fisheries Research Institute. She added that the act disturbs the habitat of benthic organisms, small fishes, live conches, sea cucumbers and also collapses their food chain.
Meanwhile, the Madurai bench of the Madras High Court had recently banned conch diving in the state. However, a final order is yet to be issued in this regard. Subsequently, conch divers appealed to the state government to regularise chank collection methods, allow safer practices using oxygen cylinders, instead of banning the age-old practice.
Leaders of the Sangukuli Meenavar Sangam association told TNIE that no one resorts to skin diving nowadays, as it poses risks to their lives. “All divers use compressors which enable them to do the activity fearlessly. Hence, the government must consider approving the use of advanced technologies in the conch diving industry, they added. Further, Meerasa, a conch trader, said that conch diving was only a small business and caused no impact on marine ecosystems, in comparison to the damages inflicted by mechanised vessel fishing.