WWF-India and TRAFFIC, an NGO working on legal wildlife trade, have developed new identification tools to help authorities identify marine mollusc species and prevent their trafficking. The new tools, in the form of cards and posters, will be made available to wildlife law enforcement agencies, including the Forest Department, police, border security forces, Customs, and DRI.
Seashells are in high demand for making accessories like buttons and combs, lampshades, and decorative items.
Illicit trade
The 97,000-kg seashell seizures during 2009-2019 indicate the ongoing illicit trade in the country.
The new tools will come in handy for enforcement agencies who face two-fold challenges in curbing illegal seashell trade.
Firstly, only 24 of 3,400 species of marine mollusks are protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Low conviction rates
The second challenge is related to correct identification of species encountered in illegal wildlife trade. First-level enforcement officers are unable to correctly identify almost a third of seashell species seized. This leads to wrongful seizures, faulty reports and low conviction rates in instances of illegal trade.
Saket Badola, Head of TRAFFIC’s India office said, “Seashells are sold openly across the country. Correct identification of seized species is essential for better enforcement.”
Authored by Deepak V. Samuel; Saket Badola, R. Ravinesh; A. Biju Kumar and Merwyn Fernandes, these new guides provide vital information about protected marine mollusks, their legal and conservation statuses, natural distribution, key identification features, and threats.
The many uses
Top Shell Trochidae and Turban Shell Turbinidae are prized for their lustre and used to make buttons and other items. Windowpane Oysters Placuna placenta are used to manufacture lamps, articles for display, hair clips and other accessories, while larger shells like the Triton Charonia tritonis, Pineapple Shell Cassis conuta and the Helmet Shell Cypraecassis rufa are sold as souvenirs.
Meat of species like Horse Conch Pleuroploca trapezium is consumed by fishermen and the processed dried flakes are sold. Other protected species like the Windowpane Oyster are commercially exploited. Powdered shells are apparently smuggled via sea to oil rigs in West Asia and South America.
