A new short brown unpatterned moray eel (Anguilliformes, Muraenidae) from the southeast coast of India, Bay of Bengal

Gymnothorax tamilnaduensis sp. nov., a new species of short brown unpatterned moray, is described, based on four specimens ranging from 272–487 mm total length collected from the trawl bycatch landings at Mudasalodai fish landing centre, off Cuddalore coast, Tamil Nadu, southeast coast of India. The new species is distinguished by the following combination of characters: origin of dorsal fin at middle of rictus and gill opening, anus just before mid-body, series of lines of small dark spots present on head and a single line of black spot-on mid-line of body, jaw pores with white rim, anal-fin margin whitish, 3 pre-dorsal vertebrae, 56–59 pre-anal vertebrae and 139–150 total vertebrae. The new species differs from its known Indian water congeners by having series of lines of small dark spots present on the head and a single line of black spots on the mid-line of the body (vs. absent in all the three congeners in India), serrated teeth (vs. smooth), jaw pores with white rim (vs. black to brown in others) and higher vertebral count (139–150 vs. 134–138 in others). Our morphological and molecular analyses show that the new species forms a distinct clade from its congeners and these data support the status as a new species

Microplastics contamination in the gastropod, Telescopium telescopium, from the mangrove area of Versova Creek, Mumbai, India: Microplastics in the gastropod

Microplastic (MP) content in the gastropod, Telescopium telescopium, collected from the mangrove forest of Versova Creek, Mumbai was investigated. In total, 60 specimens were collected and pooled into six groups of 10 animals, each according to their weight and size. The concentration of extracted MP was expressed as the number of MP particles g-1 soft tissue (wet weight) and Ind.-1 (individual). MP was detected in all six groups and ranged from ~1 to 4 MP/g soft tissue and ~4 to 23 MP/individual. The minimum number of MP both in soft tissue and in each individual were 1.12 MP/g and 3.6 MP/Ind, respectively, and were found to be present in the lowest wet weight group (3.21±0.33 g). The size of the longest dimension of MP varied from 21-435 µm, most of which were smaller than 100 µm. The majority of the MP found in each weight group were colorless and transparent fragments were the most prevalent shape (55.20%). FTIR analysis showed polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyurethane were the major polymer types. The study reports the microplastic content in a gastropod, Telescopium inhabiting the mangroves of Mumbai, India. As an algal feeder/detritivore, the presence of MP in its soft tissue suggests molluscans are prone to consuming MP, relative to the environmental availability. They had a higher proportion of MP than body weight, indicating the potential transfer of MP into higher trophic levels of the mangrove ecosystem. Irregular fragment MP dominance indicates Telescopium graze on weathered plastic items covered by fouling algae and contributes to MP formation

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Not AvailableMesoscale eddies are important ocean phenomena that enhance biological productivity by mixing of water column and influence fishery catches, especially in stratified seas such as Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. The current study was conducted around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI), India located in the Eastern Indian Ocean. The study tested the feasibility of targeted fishing in eddies, by characterizing the mesoscale eddies in the region, towards developing operational altimetry-based fishery advisories for the fishers. We analysed fish catch data from 15,370 commercial fishing trips from the Islands using five fishing gears during 2014–17 spatially vis-à-visthe eddies delineated from Maps of Sea Level Anomaly (MSLA). We show that 5-24% of the routine commercial catches occurred in eddies, fishery catches are positively influenced by different eddy zones and the fish catch using different fishing gear are significantly higher in some of the eddy zones. We generated experimental advisories showing locations of eddies and their zones, identified using Near Real-Time M-SLA data and guided the commercial fishers for targeted fishing in eddies. The fish Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) from the experimental fishing within the eddy zones was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that from the traditional fishing grounds in the non-eddy areas. The spatio-temporal analysis of eddies around ANI during 2009–16 showed the occurrence of higher number of anticyclonic eddies, majority of which move westward and have a lifespan of less than 2 weeks and amplitude less than 4 cm. In the current study, the areas around ANI with frequent eddy occurrence and eddy density have been identified, which could aid in increasing the fishing intensity by targeting the pelagic fishes, using longlines, gillnets and ringnets. Thus, we show the possibility of using eddy fishing advisories generated from altimeter data, for augmenting the currently operational Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories that are generated using optical/thermal remote sensing data and disseminated to the coastal fishers in India. This will be helpful especially for the regions with and during periods of persistent cloud cover.National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC), Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), [RRSC -NRSC -2018

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Not AvailableMesoscale eddies are important ocean phenomena that enhance biological productivity by mixing of water column and influence fishery catches, especially in stratified seas such as Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea. The current study was conducted around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands (ANI), India located in the Eastern Indian Ocean. The study tested the feasibility of targeted fishing in eddies, by characterizing the mesoscale eddies in the region, towards developing operational altimetry-based fishery advisories for the fishers. We analysed fish catch data from 15,370 commercial fishing trips from the Islands using five fishing gears during 2014-17 spatially vis-a-vis the eddies delineated from Maps of Sea Level Anomaly (M-SLA). We show that 5-24% of the routine commercial catches occurred in eddies, fishery catches are positively influenced by different eddy zones and the fish catch using different fishing gear are significantly higher in some of the eddy zones. We generated experimental advisories showing locations of eddies and their zones, identified using Near Real-Time M-SLA data and guided the commercial fishers for targeted fishing in eddies. The fish Catch Per Unit Effort (CPUE) from the experimental fishing within the eddy zones was significantly (p < 0.01) higher than that from the traditional fishing grounds in the non-eddy areas. The spatio-temporal analysis of eddies around ANI during 2009-16 showed the occurrence of higher number of anticyclonic eddies, majority of which move westward and have a lifespan of less than 2 weeks and amplitude less than 4 cm. In the current study, the areas around ANI with frequent eddy occurrence and eddy density have been identified, which could aid in increasing the fishing intensity by targeting the pelagic fishes, using longlines, gillnets and ringnets. Thus, we show the possibility of using eddy fishing advisories generated from altimeter data, for augmenting the currently operational Potential Fishing Zone (PFZ) advisories that are generated using optical/thermal remote sensing data and disseminated to the coastal fishers in India. This will be helpful especially for the regions with and during periods of persistent cloud cover.National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC)Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), [RRSC - NRSC - 2018