NAGAPATTINAM, India -- Dressed in a shirt over her saree, plastic goggles on her eyes and cloth covering her hands to prevent her from being scratched by coral, Lakshmi Muthu, 54, dips into shallow ocean water and collects clumps of greenish seaweed.
Women like Muthu have traditionally collected up to 30 kilograms of seaweed in a day from waters near Pamban Island, located between India and Sri Lanka. Besides wild harvesting, the women now grow seaweed on bamboo rafts as part of an effort promoted by the Tamil Nadu state government.
