AMONG THE boats lined up at a fishing harbor in southeastern Tamil Nadu, trawlers stand out; glass on their windshields is either crudely taped or missing altogether. “The windshields broke when the Sri Lankan Navy pelted stones and alcohol bottles at the trawlers while they were fishing at Palk Bay,” says C Moorthi from Jegathapattinam village in Pudukottai district.
Such sights are also common across neighboring Thanjavur, Ramanathapuram, and Nagapattinam districts, where fishers depend on the rich aquatic resources of Palk Bay—a 15,000 sq km narrow strip of water separating India and Sri Lanka. According to the Tamil Nadu Fisheries Department, there are 5,893 trawlers in the state— more than 2,000 from the four districts alone—that go out into the bay to drag a large net along the ocean floor to catch target species. Though bottom trawling destroys coral reefs and causes an irreversible impact on benthic communities, the government has encouraged trawling in Palk Bay since the mid-1960s through loans and subsidies to boost prawn exports. Crabs, prawns, murrel, barracuda, and sardines are also found in the bay.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 01, 2021-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der December 01, 2021-Ausgabe von Down To Earth.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
In leading role again
MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated
Return of Rambhog
Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region
Scarred by mining
Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.
True rehabilitation
Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face
A JOKE, INDEED
A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE
THINGS FALL APART
THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE
