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| Benedict Maduththeen, a traditional fisherman and a diver who has been engaged in the wild harvest of sea cucumbers for decades prepare his equipment in Kayts, Jaffna.Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
By Rubatheesan Sandranathan.
For several decades, the Northern fisherfolk community led a sustainable way of managing their fisheries resources until the commercialization of sea cucumbers introduced in 2015 for purely exporting purposes to China and other Southeast Asian countries.
Overharvesting sea cucumbers in the shallow waters of northern waters has led to a significant environmental impact, with fewer fish catches in recent years. Fishermen have alleged that this is due to the absence of sea animals, including sea cucumbers, that maintain marine equilibrium.
The essay follows the life cycle of sea cucumbers through the narrative of two individuals — Maduththeen, a veteran traditional fisherman and diver, and young Jeni, a sea cucumber farmer who produces sea cucumbers for export purposes — about the impact of mysterious species that local do not consume but only harvest in tons as it generated much-needed billions of foreign revenue to the country.
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| B. Maduththeen made a dive to the coastal sea in the Jaffna peninsula seeking sea cucumbers as its population saw a rapid decrease in recent times due to over-exploitation of the species in the Northern waters of Sri Lanka. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
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| A group of sea cucumber family on a farm located in Mandathivu, Jaffna. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
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| B. Jeni, a fisherman and sea cucumber farmer from Mandaithivu walks into his hut located within the premises of the farm to inspect the growth of sea cucumber. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
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| Hundreds of acres of coastal land are divided into small plots of sea cucumber farms in the coastal region of Jaffna, Sri Lanka. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
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Jeni along with fellow fisherfolk colleagues repair the broken fishing nets in their spare time on the farm. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy
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After inspecting his farm, Jeni selected a couple of matured sea cucumbers in the harvest time which will be sold to export agents. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy
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| A worker attached to a Sea cucumber processing company in Jaffna make a cut to remove the internal organs of the sea cucumber as a first step towards processing it for exports to China. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
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| Dried sea cucumbers are collected and placed on the machinery for further quality checks and examining weight before packaging. Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy |
📸 by Rubatheesan Sandranathan for VII Academy ( @rubatheesan ).
Rubatheesan was part of the Select Countries in Asia: Program for Narrative and Documentary Practice, Level 1 seminar led by Philip Blenkinsop ( @philipblenkinsop ). This 12-week, tuition-free course taught students new journalism skills, including conceiving, researching, and planning project ideas. Students confronted ethical challenges as they documented the lives of others.
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