Nagapattinam fishers marooned by marine ooze

The fishermen are finding it increasingly difficult to launch and land their boats because of the marine deposit.
Fishermen struggling to launch their motorised boats through a layer of calcareous marine ooze that has deposited on the shores of Pushpavanam village. (Photo | Antony Fernando)
Fishermen struggling to launch their motorised boats through a layer of calcareous marine ooze that has deposited on the shores of Pushpavanam village. (Photo | Antony Fernando)

NAGAPATTINAM: New Year has brought only old woes for the fishers of Pushpavanam hamlet in Nagapattinam district facing the onslaught of calcareous ooze that beaches their shoreline. The fishermen are finding it increasingly difficult to launch and land their boats because of the marine deposit.

Calcareous ooze is a calcium carbonate mud formed out of marine flora and fauna. It gets sedimented and lies on the seafloor. A strong push of water from the sea deposits the ooze on the shoreline.

S Ramesh, a fishers’ representative, said, "We are shunned by both officials and elected representatives. The mud is getting thicker and it is becoming difficult to launch our boats on full moon day or when the sea turns rough. Our livelihood is at stake."

The marine ooze started washing up on our shores after the monsoon. The amount of sedimentation has been changing over the years. It has turned bad after the Gaja Cyclone in 2018. We sometimes use tractors to move the boats. But even that is hard at times, he said. L Karthik, a tractor operator said, "Pushing and pulling boats take almost an hour now. Our tractors get stuck in the mud. The systems get clogged and we have to clean them again before using them."

Fisherwomen who help men in fetching ice and fuel, unloading catch, untangling nets and cleaning boats too are hassled. Fishers and boat owners are struggling to find buyers for their catch as traders stay away from the village because of the issue. M Kathirvel, a local trader, said, "Seafood trade has been hit as traders are apprehensive of getting stuck in the clay which is eating into our coastline.”

The fishers demand breakwater structures and groynes to arrest the deposition of the ooze.

Dr V Selvam, a researcher on the coastal system and climate change, said, "A strong chain of ocean currents is capable of moving such sediments towards land. The issue needs to be studied in detail to find a solution."

An official from the fisheries department in Nagapattinam said, "We have written to IIT-Madras for an opinion. We are not sure if breakwater structures or short groynes will help us in stopping deposition of the marine clay on the coast.

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