World’s first ‘marine cemetery’ unveiled in Kerala

Till date, cemeteries had been built for humans; but, in Kerala, you will now find a cemetery dedicated to fishes. In fact, Kerala has become the first place in the world to have a marine cemetery.

If records are to go by, the marine life has been the most neglected in our ecosystem, thereby suffering the major blow of climate change over time. Bearing this in mind, a few eco-conscious groups have come forward to build this place, so as to serve as a reminder for people. This cemetery has been built at Beypore Beach, Kozhikode, Kerala, and is touted as the world's first marine cemetery.
It has been built in honour of eight endangered marine species or extinct fishes, such as the seahorse, parrotfish, hammerhead shark, leatherback turtle, dugong, sawfish, eagle ray, zebra shark and Miss Kerala.
The cemetery houses more than just tombs that made of mud or cement; these are made of iron frames that raise their heads to the sky and are filled with single-use plastic bottles. This is the most critical message that the cemetery displays in its design—the relationship between marine life and single-use plastic.
As per reports, almost 6.4 million tons of litter is being disposed into our seas annually, and around 26000 tons of waste every day. And, in all this, around 50 per cent of the sea litter is plastic waste that is threatening marine life. Records also state that, as of now, 15 marine species have become extinct, and lives of 700 more are in danger because of water and plastic pollution.

This project led by Jellyfish Watersports, with the support of the Kozhikode district administration and Beypore Port Department, Clean Beach Mission, is driven by climate activist Aakash Ranison.