600 kg of sea cucumber confiscated in Tamil Nadu, one held

Rameswaram: Nearly 600 kg of sea cucumber, an endangered coral reef species, which was meant to be smuggled into Sri Lanka was seized near here on Monday and one arrested in this connection, Marine police said.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of Marine Police recovered the sea cucumber hidden in a sack buried off Thiruvadanai coast in this district, and confiscated it this morning, they said.

One Mohammed Wasim of Devipattinam has been arrested in this connection, they added.

Sea cucumbers, which play an important role in maintaining the marine ecological system, have been classified as endangered species and their harvest banned under the Wildlife Protection Act.