Looking for mussels? head to Kasimedu

If you like mussels, the Kasimedu fishing harbour is the place to go.

Aali, as the fishermen call them, can be found growing beneath the wharf and on the boulders that keep the coastline intact. With the fishing ban in place, you can find them clinging to the boats as well now.

Fishermen like Gurumoorthi, 30, who are good at diving, make some extra money using their skills to remain under water for extended periods.

“There are different kinds of mussels and all of them taste great if you use some chicken masala for cooking. The cleaning takes some skill. If it is not done properly, you will end up with a stomach ache,” he said, shivering due to the cold water. Mr. Gurumoorthi cooks mussels and also scrapes them from their hiding places. “Pressure cook them for a whistle and they will open up. Retain only the soft flesh, make some masala with tomatoes, onion, turmeric powder, garlic and ginger and add the flesh to it,” he explained.

Oxygen tanks

A 50 kg bag of mussels is sold to exporters and hoteliers for ₹6,500, for which he and his father Devarajan, 57, spend a few hours in the water. “If someone wants just a few, we don’t use oxygen tanks and other equipment. But if it is going to be a bagful, then we take enough precautions,” explained Mr. Devarajan. However, since there is no regulation and anyone who can dive can get the mussels, there are divers from Thoothukudi who come here on a regular basis and scrap whatever they can, leaving almost nothing for local divers.

M.D. Dayalan of the Indian Fishermen Association said that if the Chennai Port Trust permits, mussels can be grown in the fishing harbour using coir ropes and cotton cloth.

“It would be a good livelihood option for fishermen, at least those who depend on traditional craft. Already mussels are grown in backwaters and in estuaries,” he pointed out.