600 kgs of smuggled sea cucumber worth $4 million seized in India’s southern Tamil Nadu coast
An Indian Coast Guard (ICG) team in southern Tamil Nadu state seized 600 kilograms of sea cucumber from a small boat that was involved in smuggling.
The market value of seized sea cucumbers is said to be around Rs 30 million ($400,000 approximately).
Based on a tip-off, the ICG team tracked the suspect vessel at Mandapam, Ramanathapuram district, and cordoned off the road to block their escape.
Subsequently, the boat was found to be anchored off Uchhipalli coast in Ramanathapuram on Tuesday afternoon.
The Coast Guard teams then rummaged the vessel and recovered 31 gunny bags of sea cucumber weighing 600 kgs. The boat, along with seized sea cucumbers, were then brought to Mandapam and handed over to the forest department officials.
Sea cucumbers are an important constituent of the marine ecosystem as they play a key role in maintaining the health of the ecosystem.
By excreting the inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus, sea cucumbers enhance the productivity of benthic animals —those living on the ocean floor.
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