Fishermen of Thanjavur district rescued three Dugongs and 35 sea turtles in past year

Forest Department felicitates fishermen for rescuing endangered Dugongs, awards cash prizes, and conducts awareness programs for marine conservation.

A group of 24 fishermen of coastal Thanjavur district were felicitated by the Forest Department recently for rescuing Dugongs, an “endangered” marine mammal that had got entangled in the net and releasing them safely into the sea.

Cash awards were given to the fishermen in appreciation of their act of protecting the marine species and to motivate them. The fishermen hailed from different coastal villages falling under the Pattukottai Forest Range. The last one year has seen rescue and release of many sea turtles and a few Dugongs, commonly known as “sea cow”, by fishermen of different coastal villages in Pattukottai Forest Range. 

The number of sea turtles and Dugongs rescued and released safely into the sea were 35 and three respectively from April 2024 to March 2025, said a Forest Department official. The release of the marine species which got trapped in the net were done under the guidance of the Forest Department, the official said, adding that a sum of ₹2.6 lakh was given as cash awards by the Forest Department to the fishermen under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response. 

The fishermen involved in the rescue and release of the trapped marine species were from coastal villages including Keezhathottam, Kollukadu, Somanathapattinam, Manthiripattinam and Chinnamanai. The official said awareness programmes on conservation of Dugong were being organised periodically at the coastal villages to sensitise fishermen in protecting the marine species and their habitats in the sea. 

The fishing community were also being told about the importance of conservation of Dugong which is an “endangered” marine species to ensure their long-term survival and importance of conservation of seagrass meadows and other marine ecosystems that are crucial for the survival of numerous marine species. The programmes are also being used as an occasion to inform the fishing community about the Forest Department’s plan to set up an International Dugong Conservation Centre at Manora in Thanjavur district, said M. Anand Kumar, District Forest Officer, Thanjavur. 

The awareness programmes had covered about 30 coastal villages, said A.S. Chandrasekharan, Forest Range Officer, Pattukottai in Thanjavur Forest Division. Acting on the requirements of fishermen ascertained during the programmes, the Forest Department had installed sodium lights at seven coastal villages so far.

Alongside awareness programmes, the Forest Department had embarked on the task of restoring seagrass meadows inside the sea along coastal regions of Valluvanpattinam and Somanathapattinam. This work was being executed in 1,000 square metres area with funds provided under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response scheme. Seagrass meadows besides being a major food source for marine species including the Dugong also play a fundamental role in enhancing marine biodiversity.