This warm sea has a stable water temperature through the year and is rich in marine life, the Gulf of Mannar alone hosting about 3,600 species.

Mangaluru, Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Ponnani, Kochi, Alappuzha, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, Tuticorin, Colombo, Negombo and Malé are the major cities on the shore of the Laccadive Sea.

[8][9] Also collected in large numbers are Shankha mollusks (Xancus pyrum)[8] whose shells are used as a ritual and religious object.

Shrimp, Achelata[1] and small fish, such as Sprattus, Pomacentridae and Apogonidae are widely used as a bait by the Laccadive islanders.

[13] In 1986, a group of 21 islands and nearby waters with a total area of 560 km2 were declared as the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.

Most of its area is restricted for outsiders and the access of boats is subject to strict rules,[14] but local people continue fishing activities which they crucially depend on.

There are about 125 fishing villages with 35,000 active fishers and 25,000 divers for sea cucumbers in the area, about 5,000 women collect seaweed.

), mackerel, penaeid shrimp, perches, squid (Sepioteuthis arctipinni), deep-sea lobster (Puerulus sewelli), crab (Varuna littorata), skates and sting rays.