The Tamil Nadu Meenpidi Thozhirsanga Koottamaippu, a federation of fish workers, affiliated to the CITU appealed to Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Krishna Raj to protect the livelihood of women, who eke out a living by collecting seaweed around the islets in the Gulf of Mannar. A delegation, led by M. Karunamoorthy, district secretary of the Koottamaippu, presented a memorandum to the Minister at the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), near here on Sunday and explained the plight of the fisherwomen in Kilakarai, Erwadi and surrounding areas, who dependent on seaweed collection for their livelihood. They said the women who were engaged in seaweed collection and also fishermen fishing near the islets faced threat to their livelihood as they were prevented by the forest personnel from collecting seaweed and fish around the islets. The fisherfolk were aware of preserving the biosphere reserve in Gulf of Mannar and never disturbed the coral reefs, they said. Demand for ID cards The men adopted traditional fishing method of keeping the nets in the water and collecting the fish which got trapped in the nets, while the women collected seaweed only from lime stones and never touched the coral reefs. They urged the Minister to instruct the officials to issue identity cards to these fisherfolk and allow them access to the islets. Ms Raj assured that their demands would be considered, Mr. Karunamoorthy said.