As monsoon starts and a fishing ban too begins, Kerala fishermen take to the shores on treasure hunts

With the Arabian Sea getting wild and stormy as the SouthWest Monsoon makes an entrance, and the trawling ban too set to begin on June 9, fishermen on the Kerala coast are left with no option but to stay ashore and look for treasure that the sea might throw up on to the sands.

On the eve of the trawling ban coming into force in the state's coastal waters, fishermen, who are already jobless due to Cyclone Biparjoy, were seen trying to find an alternate source of income through 'treasure hunting'.

On Thiruvananthapuram's Shangumugham Beach, scores of fishermen were scouring the shores -- unmindful of the huge waves -- for coins, gold, and other valuables.

Many have already got gold in the form of chains, pendants, and earrings.

''When the rains (monsoon) start, the sea becomes rough, churning out everything on its bed. So we get money. There is no other way to earn anything during this time,'' Cyril, a local fisherman, said.

Showing a Rs 10 coin that he just picked up from the sand while fighting the waves hitting the shore, the fisherman said, ''A few years ago, we used to get gold and other valuables. But after the Corona pandemic, we are mostly getting only coins.'' There are many like Cyril who go in search of possible treasure.

''I got Rs 67 yesterday. Today I have just reached. One person got a gold pendant just now, and he has left,'' Antony Xavier, another fisherman, said.

These fishermen will comb the beach till evening for the coming days at Shangumugham Beach. They prefer beaches where people come regularly, as the possibility of finding lost valuables is high.

They say occasionally some get heavy gold ornaments that the sea could have brought to the shore from faraway places.

In Kerala, the meteorological department has cautioned fishermen not to venture into the sea due to cyclone Biparjoy causing rough sea conditions. There are warnings of huge waves reaching a height of up to 3.5 metres.

The Kerala government has announced the trawling ban in the state's coastal waters from midnight of June 9 to midnight of July 31 At this time, traditional fishermen who depend on small catamarans and non-mechanised boats for fishing take to searching the shores in the belief that the sea will never let them down.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)