The fishing community, which ekes out a living by fishing and collecting seaweed around the islets in Gulf of Mannar, staged a demonstration near the forest range office at Kilakarai, near here, on Monday, urging authorities to protect their livelihood. Alleging that forest personnel harassed and prevented them from fishing and collecting seaweed near the islets, a large number of men and women from more than half a dozen villages around the coastal Erwadi and Kilakarai areas gathered near the office and staged the protest, displaying fishing nets and goggles. M. Karunamurthy, district secretary of CITU-affiliated Tamil Nadu Meenpidi Thozhirsanga Koottamaippu, which led the protest, said the forest department prevented the fishermen and women from fishing and collecting seaweed when they were extremely careful in protecting the coral reefs. The fishermen fixed the nets in the sea without disturbing the coral reefs and fish, he said. Similarly, the women collected seaweed only from the limestone without causing any disturbance to the coral reefs, he said. The men and women had been fishing and collecting seaweed for several years and they were well aware that the coral reefs and marine resources needed to be protected and preserved, Mr. Karunamurthy said. The fishing community acted as protectors of the islets, but the forest personnel not only prevented them from coming within the 500 metre radius but also harassed them, he alleged. The protestors demanded that they be issued identity cards to continue their livelihood and allowed to stay overnight in the islets. If the forest and fisheries department officials failed to act on their demands, the fishermen and women would go ahead with the next phase of agitation of residing in the islets’. They proposed to meet the Minister for Forest and Fisheries in Chennai before staging the next phase of agitation, he added. Former Communist Party of India (Marxist) MLA R Annadurai, CITU district president John Soundararajan and secretary Sivaji were among others who participated in the stir and expressed solidarity with the fisherfolk.