SEA CUCUMBERS "EMPOWER IAS"

In news:

• In a swift operation, the Indian Coast Guard (ICG) team at Mandapam, Tamil Nadu seized two tonnes of sea cucumber, a banned marine species.

About:

• Sea cucumbers are in high demand in China and Southeast Asia.
   
• Sea cucumber in India is treated as an endangered species listed under schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
   
• It is primarily smuggled from Tamil Nadu to Sri Lanka in fishing vessels from Ramanathapuram and Tuticorin districts.