CHENNAI: Years of industrial pollution have shrunk fish population in the Ennore Creak and so fishermen here are now forced to catch polychaete worms, colloquially called ‘poochi’, to sustain their livelihood. These worms belong to the bottom of the food chain and catching them might make the revival of the fish population even more difficult.
But the fishermen say it is a hard choice for them. “Every day we have to earn our livelihood. Why will we catch ‘poochi’, if we had fish and prawns in the creek?’’ says R Anbu (42), a fisherman in the locality.
The worms breed on the sludge present in the ground of the water bodies. The worms play a significant role in maintaining the food chain balance and keep the ecology intact. However, the fishermen alter the ecology as they dig the surface to pluck these worms out. “Vaval meen (pomfret), kanakalatha (Indian mackerel), mathimeen (sardine), and prawns do not come to the creek anymore,’’ says K Rajendran (64), who has been into fishing for 50 years.
“The worms from Ennore are exported to Andhra and Odisha, as feed for shrimps and bait for other fish, and for each kg, the fishers are paid Rs 1000,’’ he said. The fishermen blame the unchecked industrial pollution that has now forced them to this situation.
Fishermen go into the creek at 3 am to catch the worms and stay in waters till 11 am. “Polychaetes are sensitive to sunlight and hence, our day starts early,’’ says Anbu. “Years ago, when we used to catch fish, we earned Rs 3,000 per day. However, catching worms depends on the amount we catch. Sometimes it is 800 grams and some days, 400 grams,’’ says Anbu, who earns Rs 600 a day from worm fishing. He says the money is hardly sufficient for his day-to-day needs.
Health in peril
The labour involved in worm fishing is painstaking compared to normal fishing, as the fishermen get into the waters in the dark and it takes 20 minutes to dig out one block of sludge. “We use heavy rods to dig the ground and sometimes, fishermen sprain their back, even slip and fall into the water’’, says Anbu. In such cases, the medical costs rise and for the next 15 days, they end up staying at home, losing their livelihood. Moreover, the water, which is polluted, also gives fishermen skin lesions and rashes.
According to the Journal on Toxicology and Health, comparisons of levels of heavy metal pollution in aquatic environments were undertaken in the Ennore Creek by analysis of water, sediments and members of indigenous biota, i.e. biomonitors.
The 2017 research found that the waterbody is awash with toxic chemicals such as paraffin, aromatics, copper and nickel which may cause permanent disturbances to the marine ecosystem, leading to ecological degradation, by not just affecting the flora and fauna but also humans through the food chain.
Due to skin diseases, fisherman Chinna Veeramuthu (56) had to stay out of water for 20 days. However, the vicious cycle is never-ending. “No matter how long I stay out of the water, I’ll have to go back to catch ‘poochi’ in the same water again,’’ he says.
“I spend about Rs 200 for medical expenses and the money from worm fishing is a pittance. I hardly save anything,’’ says Veeramuthu. Another problem the Kaattukuppam fishermen face is people coming from outside places in huge numbers to exploit the resources in the creek. “At least 500 to 1,000 people come in buses and trains early in the morning, from faraway places, catch these worms, and export them,’’ says M Raja (43), a fisherman of Kaattukuppam.“They take away big chunks of worms and there’s hardly anything left for us,’’ he says.
Despite environmentalists warning fishermen not to catch worms, the 400 fishermen of Kaattukuppam have no other choice. “Only if the creek is de-silted and the water purified, we’ll have fish coming here again. If this trend continues, not just our livelihood but also the last remaining species in the creek, the polychaete worms, will become extinct as well,’’ says Raja.