Thiruvananthapuram: Fisherfolk off the Vizhinjam coast are raising alarm as their nets are filling with plastic waste instead of fish, following heavy rains late last month. The downpour flushed tonnes of plastic debris from rivers and lakes into the sea, severely impacting the fragile marine ecosystem and fishermen’s livelihoods.

“We’re mostly pulling up plastic covers, bottles, caps—not fish,” said Sadic Ali, fisherman and Friends of Marine Life (FML) volunteer. About 50–60 fisherfolk in the area use two types of nets — one scraping the seabed for crabs and rays, and another suspended slightly above to catch species like mackerel and sardines. Both nets are now dragging in plastic, especially from the seabed.

Years of declining catch have already troubled the community. Now, plastic pollution threatens to destroy marine habitats and coral ecosystems. Ali says many fishermen, lacking alternatives, dump the waste back into the sea, creating a vicious cycle.

Marine expert Robert Panipilla of FML stressed the need for authorities to sensitise fishermen about plastic disposal and called for more scientific intervention. He warned that unusual sea currents are circulating debris, hitting small-scale fishermen the hardest.

Scientists have recently named plastic pollution as the top threat to marine ecosystems, noting its land-based origins and its growing presence in the sea. The coastline is still recovering from plastic pellets washed ashore after the MSC ELSA 3 cargo mishap near Alappuzha.