Mussel Divers in Kerala Face Livelihood Loss, with Species Habitat Under Threat

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Ibrahim Basheer, diving for mussels at Kovalam beach in Thiruvananthapuram. Credit: Bharath Thampi/IPSby Bharath Thampi (thiruvananthapuram, india)Tuesday, February 25, 2025Inter Press Service

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, India, Feb 25 (IPS) - Ibrahim Basheer plunges into the sea and disappears. He remains gone for a couple of minutes before resurfacing for a deep breath of air, repeating this for the next half an hour. When he finally climbs aboard his boat, the net sack around his neck is filled with mussels—his catch for that diving trip. He rests for a short while before diving into the sea again—needing one more such trip to fill the basket he has brought along.

An expert swimmer and a diver, Ibrahim has also been in the lifeguard service in Thiruvananthapuram for the last 17 years. Hailing from a fishing family, he started diving for mussels 28 years ago, when he was barely 18. But Ibrahim is also one of the hundreds of fishers in Thiruvananthapuram, the southernmost district of Kerala, who face the impending threat of losing their livelihood.

The Vizhinjam International Seaport Project, a joint venture by the Government of Kerala and the Adani Group, has been under the lens for the negative impact it’s causing on the marine habitats and ecosystems in the regions around the port. According to the mussel divers of these regions, there has been a significant downfall to the species’ habitat in the last decade or so.

The mussel size in fishing villages around Vizhinjam has reduced considerably. Credit: Bharath Thampi/IPS

Ibrahim Basheer has been diving for mussels for more than 28 years. Credit: Bharath Thampi /IPS

Ibrahim runs his fingers through the mussels in his basket: “Before (the port construction), we used to collect 2-4 baskets of large mussels in this same time. A day’s diving would easily earn us between Rs.3000 and Rs.5000 (between USD 30 and USD 58). Now, the mussels have become smaller. Their presence has plummeted. We barely make a third of what we used to in a day.”

Ibrahim says that the association of the mussel divers had reached an agreement not to pick the small mussels, allowing them to grow bigger naturally. But in the last few years, he says with dismay, the mussels in these regions don’t seem to be reaching their full size.

In 2023, a comprehensive study report, prepared by a team consisting of oceanographers, scientists, social scientists and other authoritative voices, was released by the renowned historian Ramachandra Guha. The report, titled ‘Our Beaches, Our Sea,’ speaks extensively of the potential loss of biodiversity in the regions in and around Vizhinjam due to the port project. The report lists 225 different species of Mollusca as part of the species biodiversity of Vizhinjam.

The report highlights the fact that fishers from more than 27 fishing villages in Thiruvananthapuram use the Vizhinjam fishing harbor, and any damage to the biodiversity of the region can seriously harm their livelihood.

Source: https://icsf.net/resources/our-beaches-our-sea-heritage-of-fishing-communities-usufruct-of-all-citizens/

Patrick Anthony, a fisher from the Valiyathura village, has been diving for mussels near the Valiyathura bridge for almost a decade now. The region around the bridge, which had a rich fish habitat all these years, has faced a drastic change in its ecosystem in recent years. The bridge, which had stood solid for nearly 70 years and symbolized the culture and history of Thiruvananthapuram’s fishing communities, had broken into two last year. The local communities, as well as scientific experts, have pinned the collapse of the bridge, as well as the loss of habitat around it, on the construction of the Vizhinjam port and the coastal erosion caused by it.

“I can barely collect around two baskets these days,” Patrick echoes Ibrahim’s sentiments. “While the rate for mussels has gone up in the market in the past few years, we fishers still sell it for the old rates. It has been a significant loss to our livelihood for some time now.”

Anil Kumar, a Deputy Director at the Fisheries Department of Kerala, attests to the fact that the construction of the port and the dredging activities related to it have certainly affected the habitat of mussels. He points out that adequate compensation had been given by the Vizhinjam International Seaport Limited (VISL)—a Government of Kerala undertaking incorporated to implement the Vizhinjam International Seaport Project—to the mussel divers in Thiruvananthapuram, who were directly impacted by the construction of the Vizhinjam port.

“We understand that in regions like Mulloor and Adimalathura, which lie close to the Vizhinjam port, the mussel ecosystem has been severely disturbed. It’s foreseeing the long-term impact of livelihood loss for the communities involved in mussel diving that we have provided compensation,” he adds.

According to Anil Kumar, the compensation package offered for fishers who relied on regular mussel fishing was Rs. 12.5 lakhs (about USD 14,400). This sum was offered to more than 50 fishers. Similarly, over 150 fishers who were seasonal mussel divers were offered a package of Rs. 2 lakhs (about USD 2,306). While the compensation was paid through VISL, the Fisheries Department conducted the survey to determine the eligibility of the fishers.

Source: Official website of VISL (https://vizhinjamport.in/)

But Anil Kumar rejects the claims of the fishers that the breeding and growth cycle of mussels in these regions has been affected due to the construction of the Vizhinjam port.

“No, there is no scientific proof behind that,” he says, adding, “Earlier, there was plenty of catch for these fishers. Now, since that has reduced, they have begun to catch the smaller/younger mussels, which in turn affects their normal growth. They may claim the opposite, but that’s the ground reality.”

Dr. Appukuttannair Biju Kumar, the head of the Dept. of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries at the University of Kerala, leans towards the narrative offered by the fishers, though. He grew up close to Mulloor, which was once a thriving center for the mussel ecosystem. The size of the mussels you get in this region has reduced considerably from what it was before the introduction of the port, he reckons.

“Mussels are filter feeders. When there is sedimentation and siltation, owing to dredging and other construction activities of the port, the feeding as well as the growth cycles of the mussel get adversely affected.” There have also been studies that prove the presence of poisonous plankton in the seawater in these regions, Biju Kumar notes.

These microscopic organisms, regionally termed Kadalkkara, are toxic algae that have thrived on the lack of oxygen in these waters. They not only impact the growth of mussels but also can cause adverse effects on the divers. Several mussel divers IPS spoke to had complained of itching and other skin infections they suffered while diving in the last 5 - 7 years. Biju Kumar does feel that there is a rationale behind their experience, citing the aforementioned phenomenon.

The port construction in the area has been blamed for affecting the size and availability of mussels. Credit: Bharath Thampi/IPS

As the port becomes operational in the future, the mussel ecosystem loss will only worsen, Biju Kumar suggests. Vizhinjam was once rich in biodiversity and clean water, with the mussel habitat playing a crucial role in the same. That is certainly a story of the past, he muses.

Ibrahim reaches back ashore at the lighthouse beach at Kovalam, where he often serves his duty as a lifeguard. As he places the basket on the beach, a couple of old women, who sell fish at the nearby market, come to inspect his catch. After a brief conversation, he seals the deal with one of the women for a price of Rs. 500 (about USD 5.77) for the whole of it. He turns towards me, shrugs, and says knowingly, “I told you I won’t get much for it. That’s the price of nearly two hours of work.”