Though the forest authorities have been booking cases under the provisions of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and also under AP Forest Act, 1967, the illegal practice of collection of bloodworms and smuggling them out to various destinations, is going unabated. Those who raise ornamental fish also feed them with bloodworms with an expectation that such feed helps the fish to have strong pigmentation and help them earn good money by selling them.Īs a kilogram of bloodworms fetches Rs 2,000 to Rs 4,000 and have huge demand to use as feed, they are being caught from the beds of water bodies and are being smuggled to hatcheries.Īll the collected bloodworms mainly from Venadu Island of Pulicat lake get transported to the market in Chennai as there are a number of hatcheries located in Tamil Nadu also in addition to parts of Andhra Pradesh. There are nearly 300 hatcheries in the state.Īqua farmers who culture Vannamei shrimps after importing brooders from Hawaii, Singapore, Mexico and other nations use bloodworms to feed them with an expectation that it helps quick growth, lay more eggs and get more number of hatchlings so that they get good price in both international and domestic markets. Several lakes including Pulicat with brackish water have become vulnerable for smuggling of blood worms to hatcheries located in parts of East and West Godavari, Nellore, Visakhapatnam, Srikakulam, Vizianagaram and other areas in the state. Vijayawada: As smuggling of bloodworms from several brackish water bodies has become rampant affecting the local biodiversity, the forest authorities advised aqua farmers to culture them in their ponds and avoid penal action in parts of Andhra Pradesh.
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