On a Sei whale, Balaenoptera borealis stranded at Narikuzhi near Rameswaram along the Palk Bay coast

A male sei whale,Balaenoptera borealis was stranded at Narikuzhi near Rameswaram along the Palk Bay coast on 1-1-2003.The total length of the whale was 15 metres with an approximate weight of 12 tonnes. The whale might have died in the mid sea,most probably due to collision with afishing boat.There were injuries in the notch of the caudal fluke and flipper region

On a Spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris (Gray) washed ashore at Dhanushkodi along Gulf of Mannar

A live dolphin was sighted in Dhanushkodi by teeth this specimen is identified as spinner dolphin, Stenella longirostris (Gray)

Stranding of a whale shark, Rhincodon typus (Smith) at Pamban, Gulf of Mannar

The stranding of whale sharks in shallow waters along the Indian coast is not uncommon. Whale shark is listed as an endangered species as per the IUCN Red List (2000)

समुद्री पर्यावरण तंत्र का प्रकार्य और समुद्री जैवविविधता

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

On the conservation and management of marine turtles

There are five species of marine turtles occurring in and around Mandapam - Rameswaram; both in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay regions. They are incidentally caught live in trawl net, shore-seine, drift-gill net and bottom-set gill net operations in this area. They are in great demand in the rural sector. Though, the fishermen are aware that these endangered animals are protected, often the profit motive make them to sell these turtles. Whenever, any incidence is brought to the notice of the Regional Centre of the Institute, attempts have been made to rescue and release them back to the sea as a conservation measure

Mass mortality of triggerfish Odonus niger (Rupell) along Dhanuskodi coast

On 3rd and 4th October 2007, several fishes of the species Odonus niger (locally known as Karuppu Klaathi ) were washed ashore along the coast for a stretch of nearly 4 km from Dhanuskodi check post to Arichumunai. On an average, 60 fishes were found lying in every 15 m of the stretch

Controlled Breeding and Larval Rearing Techniques of Marine Ornamental Fishes

International trade of marine ornamental fishes has been expanding rapidly in recent years, and the fact that nearly 98% of the species traded are collected from reef habitats is of vital concern for the conservation of the fragile coral reef ecosystem. Hence, it is widely accepted that the ultimate answer to a long-term sustainable trade of marine ornamental fishes is only through the development of hatchery production technologies. The techniques for broodstock development, breeding and seed production of three species of damsel fishes viz. the three spot damsel, Dascyllus trimaculatus, the humbug damsel, Dascyllus aruanus and the blue damsel, Pomacentrus caeruleus, were developed and standardised, which can be scaled up for commercial level production. Broodstock development was done in one-tonne Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP) tanks with biological filter and by feeding with natural feeds. The size range of broodstock fish of D. trimaculatus, D. aruanus and P. caeruleus were 9-10, 7-8 and 7-9 cm, respectively. The number of eggs per spawning ranged from 5000 to 15000. The interval between two successive spawnings ranged from 3 to 14 days. The eggs were attached either on the sides of the broodstock tank or on the substratum provided in the broodstock tank. Parental care by the male was noted. Hatching occurred on the evening of the fourth day of incubation. The larvae were altricial type with no mouth opening at the time of hatching for D. trimaculatus and D. aruanus. The larvae of P. caeruleus were with mouth opening at the time of hatching. The length range of newly hatched larvae was 1.5-2.5 mm and the range of mouth opening was 150-200 μ

On the stranding of sea cow Dugong dugon at Mandapam along the Gulf of Mannar coast.

A dead male sea cow Dugong dugon (Muller) measuring 194 cm in total length and about 125kg in weight was stranded along the Gulf of Mannar coast at Mandapam.The morphometric measurements of specimen were taken and identified to species level

On the large sunfish landed near Mandapam

A sunfish, Ranzania laevis (Pennant) measuring 660 mm total length was caught on 5.3.1998 in shoreseine near Mandapam in Palk Bay. In fresh condition its colour was bluish with dark above and pale white below with small hexagonal plates and smooth skin. Six streaks of lighter colour bordered with dark descended from snout to gill slits and curved downwards to the ventral profile. The posterior three streaks were branched with dark spots. The lips were produced forward beyond the teeth closing as a vertical slit

Biodiversity assessment of sea cage farming sites in Gulf of Mannar, Tamil Nadu, India

Marine fin and shellfish farming is an age old practice across the globe to augment the seafood production and to supplement the protein rich food. The open sea cages are particularly advantageous for maintaining the brood stock of potential species like cobia (Rachycentron canadum) and silver pompano (Trachinotus blochii) for captive breeding. A large congregation of various bioresources are also found to be associated with cage farming (Imelda et al., 2010). In the present study, an attempt was made to understand the biodiversity of the cage farming area at Mandapam in Gulf of Mannar, India