Sea cows disappearing from Gulf of Mannar

S Raja Express Buzz 13 Oct 09;

RAMANATHAPURAM: Commonly known as the sea cow, Dugong dugon fights for survival in Indian waters, especially near the Gulf of Mannar region. Their numbers have been dwindling due to an increase in fishing with banned equipment.

Environmentalists have urged the Centre to take steps to announce the sea cow, an endangered species, a national animal, just as it had decided to declare the freshwater dolphin a national water animal at a recent meeting in New Delhi.

In 1990, the Western Indian Ocean Dugong Research Programme was launched. In an aerial survey conducted as part of the programme, it was revealed that the dugongs had become extinct in Seychelles, Mauritius and Tanzania. The population has also come down considerably in the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Mannar area.

These herbivores can be found in the Gulf of Mannar, the Gulf of Kutch and the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Indian Ocean. The animal rises to the water surface every 1.3 minutes for breathing, and experts say, the life span of a dugong is 70 years.

The increase in the number of boats, using banned nets, indulging in dynamite fishing and other illegal activities have caused a massive destruction of this marine species. Some people are said to hunt these docile creatures as its meat is believed to cure several diseases. The dugong’s bones and tusks are also used as jewellery in some countries.

After it had been enlisted as endangered under the Endangered Species Act of USA, the hunt for the sea cow came down in the South Pacific Ocean belt. Gulf of Mannar National Marine Park sources told Express that if steps were not taken at the earliest to protect these sea creatures in the Gulf of Mannar region, they would soon become extinct here.