When a massive manta ray was hauled ashore using a crane on a Kollam beach a few months ago and the locals chopped it for meat, there was a huge hue and cry on social media against the cruelty. Another ray landed on the coast of Vizhinjam a few days ago to be sold off to traders in Tamil Nadu in no time. What many don’t know though is that many species of rays including the ones that washed up belong to the threatened list. Some marine experts pointed out that while catching manta ray is a crime in some other countries, it may not qualify for punishment under existing laws in our waters. The fact is, no one, least of all the fishermen, are aware what can be caught and what not to catch. Marine expert Sunil Muhammad says, “There are more than 100 marine species which we aren’t allowed to fish. All marine mammals, all sea horses, turtles, corals, certain shells and about 24 molluscs fall in the protected sea species list.” While fishermen encounter each of these species at specific zones in the State, he says, “Mammals like dolphins and tortoises, sea horses, shells and turtles are always at high risk in Kerala.” P U Zacharia, senior scientist from the Central Marine Fisheries Institute (CMFI), explains that fish keep moving all the time and hence banning of a particular variety at a specific place doesn’t make sense. “Whale sharks, the world’s largest fish, have even been in caught off the coast of Kannur,” he says. While on land you can see animals and decide not to hunt, you can’t do the same at sea, says Sunil Muhammad. “You can’t have a similar law for terrestrial and sea animals as you never know what lands in the fishing net. That is why there should always be a lenient approach towards fishing for protected species,” he stresses. Scientists are of the opinion that simply banning the hunt of threatened species is not the way forward either. “We should opt for conservation rather than protection. When you impose a ban on hunting something, it is protection. When you put a limit on the catch, it is called conservation. This is because the livelihood of the fishermen also matter,” says Sunil. Apparently, there are many organisations and their different criteria which are taken into account, when it comes to conservation. Zacharia explains, “What’s applicable on our shores and used for prosecution, though, are the instructions of the Indian Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and its various schedules. There are about 10 varieties of sharks alone on this list. Just to include them in various schedules, the criteria of International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) will also be used.”