UNHEALTHY APPETITE

Chinese investment fuels large-scale sea cucumber farming in Sri Lanka, threatening the environment and raising strategic concerns

- LAKSHMI SUBRAMANIAN

The road from Jaffna to Poonakari in northern Sri Lanka offers a picturesque view. Flanked by lush green paddy fields, expansive farms, giant windmills and tall palms, the two-hour drive is a rewarding experience. The farms and the windmills disappear as the road takes a turn towards the scenic, Chinese-funded Sangupiddy bridge. Through Kilinochi and the dense Vanni forest, it finally reaches Kiranchi, a remote fishermen's village. Catamarans and fishing nets lie scattered on the beach, and the sea looks calm. Two men atop a navy watch tower are scanning the horizon with their binoculars.

A few metres from the shore, a few thatched hutments dot the shallow waters. This is sea cucumber territory and the hutments belong to fishermen who watch over the farms. Sea cucumbers are echinoderms with a thick, wormlike body, having tentacles around the mouth. Star fish and sea urchins, too, belong to the same family. While a few varieties of sea cucumbers live in deep waters, most inhabit the shallows, like in Kiranchi. There are more than a thousand known species, but only about two dozen are commercially important. It is a delicacy in China and southeast Asia, and is also known for its medicinal properties.

"Everyone says sea cucumber farming is dangerous for marine life. But it is my livelihood," says Seenianna Navarathnam, president of the fishermen's association at Kiranchi. Navarathnam owns a one-acre farm, which fetches him at least ten lakh Sri Lankan rupees a year.