Fishermen of Ennore, local residents and activists are worried about the collection of polychaetes (worms) from the Ennore creek and nearby backwaters for use in shrimp farms as live feed. They say the local authorities, including the district administration and the Forest Department, have not taken note of their innumerable complaints. D. Joseph, a fisherman of Nettukuppam in Ennore, said the collection of worms was leading to a massive reduction in fish catch in the Ennore Creek and in the sea. These people are digging the ground and disturbing the habitat of the worms. We used to catch a few worms to use as bait for the the Kezhanga fish from October to December, he said. The fishermen panchayats of hamlets, including Nettukuppam, Mugadhwarakuppam, Thalangkuppam, Kattukuppam and Sivanpadaiveedu, have barred people from collecting worms. If the administration does not stop this, we will have to stage protests and fight against the offenders ourselves. They even collect the worms at night using lights, said Kalaiselvan, a fisherman. Ennore resident A. Bhagath Singh, a research scholar in anthropology, said people from other places were being brought to the creek and Pulicat to collect the worms. Sharp rise Not many locals are involved in the collection. Like construction labourers, people are brought to work’ on the river. Easily, around 200 persons collect the worms on a daily basis from our waterbodies, he said, adding that while the practice started a couple of years ago, the numbers had risen alarmingly in the recent months. Along the southern stretches of the Buckingham Canal near Alambara and Kadapakkam too, the worms are being collected for use in hatcheries along the ECR, added Mr. Singh. Tamil Nadu Fisheries University Vice-Chancellor S. Felix said since the worms collected from brackish water and lagoons were mainly meant to be feed for larval fish, the collection would affect the eco-system and the livelihood of the fishermen. Live feed is the best feed for shrimp brood stock. And at Rs.1,500 a kilo, it is cheaper than the imported ones. There is also a scare that the imported stuff has some infection, he said. The university has begun creating awareness among Pulicat fishermen about the need to protect the worms. Fisheries Secretary K. Gopal said the department would get in touch with the respective district administrations and ask them to become more proactive since the livelihood of fishermen was at stake. A study will be undertaken to understand the impact and the remedial measures, he added.