CHENNAI: In a swift and coordinated mid-sea operation, an Indian Coast Guard ship and aircraft on Saturday apprehended a fishing boat carrying approximately 1,000 kg of sea cucumber, an endangered and protected species, worth over Rs 5 crore.
The package was intended to be smuggled into Sri Lanka. The fishing boat along with three crew members have been apprehended and brought to Thoothukudi for further investigation, a release stated.
Sea cucumbers are an important constituent of the coral ecosystem and are categorised as ‘endangered species’ with their harvest being banned under the Wildlife Protection Act of 2001. Much of it smuggled out of TN goes to Sri Lanka and other southeast Asian countries, where they are consumed as food or used to prepare medicines, the release added.