Chinese-funded sea cucumber farm disturbing local ecology

<p>Fisherfolk in the Pasaiyoor - Poonakary area have been involved in winged net fishing, a technique that not only ensures the freshness of seafood that is caught but also allows smaller fish to grow to be part of the oceanic ecology for longer.&nbsp;</p> <p>Tamil fishermen in Jaffna and Mannar had therefore protested against the&nbsp;installation of sea cucumber farms that had been propagating a foreign&nbsp;species of sea cucumbers. They accused the National Aquatic Resources Research and Development Agency of handing over areas for farming with no consultation of the local fisherfolk. They further alleged that these species of sea cucumbers are grown for commercial purposes that do not benefit the fisherfolk that have been working in this area for multiple generations.&nbsp;</p> <p>Additionally they highlighted the natural abundance of not only sea cucumbers, but also of crabs and prawns that are indigenous to the island in the Pasaiyoor - Poonakary area. But the introduction of the Chinese species has altered the ecology of the sea. The fishermen have said that this ecological colonization with species that are not native to the island, threatens the&nbsp;traditional fishing livelihood, which supports up to 6000 families in the area.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p>