A study was conducted to find out the possible cause of sudden changes in the colour of the Karapad lagoon water and associated variation in the hydrography. The discolouration of lagoon water was noticed after the excavation work to deepen the lagoon area by the Municipal authorities to enable free boating. Microscopic examination of the lagoon water revealed the blooming of micro alga Chlorella marina. The blooming lasted for a month and has not caused any adverse effect. During the bloom days, the algal cell density attained a peak of 3.1x 105 cells l -1 on 5 th day. Very high chlorophyll concentration was noticed in the lagoon water during the bloom days than the post bloom days. The studies revealed that the nutrient enrichment due to the re-suspension of sediments from the excavation activities might have triggered the algal outburst in the Karapad lagoon. Along with high nutrients, the surface water temperature and salinity might also have supported the algal proliferation.
A study was conduced to assess the depth wise variation and influence of lunar cycle and hydrological parameters on the distribution of zooplankton constituents in Tuticorin inshore waters between April 2011 and March 2012. Fortnightly sampling of zooplankton and hydrological parameters at four different depths like 5 m, 10 m, 15 m and 20 m was carried out on every full moon and new moon day to assess the variation. The zooplankton constituents were found in dominance in the order of copepod> decapod>Lucifer>fish eggs>cladocerans> Alima larvae>chaetognatha at all the depths. The swarming of zooplankton constituents were noticed more towards 15 m depth especially during new moon period. The full moon and new moon variation in the density was statistically significant for bivalve larvae and Lucifer (p<0.05) and the depth wise variation was significant only for decapods (p<0.05). The studies indicated that northeast monsoon which starts during late September in Tuticorin influences the environmental conditions as well as the distribution patterns of the zooplankton constituents in the Tuticorin inshore waters.
ICAR-CMFRI has developed technologies for breeding and seed production of many commercially important molluscs. One such is the marine pearl culture technology. The technology has been developed way back in 1973, pearl culture was undertaken by the fishers of Veppalodai, Thoothukudi district under the guidance of ICAR-CMFRI and established the interest and farming skill by producing quality pearls. Subsequently many aspects of pearl oyster resources were studied in detail by various researchers and a rich knowledge was obtained on the subject. The technology developed by ICAR-CMFRI has been transferred to various State government, private and joint ventures in Tamilnadu and Andhra Pradesh. Partial technology transfer to fisherfolks of Mundalmunai village, Mandapam through financial support of M.S. Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF, Chennai) and good amount of pearls were produced but, due to non sustenance of funding it couldn't continue beyond the project period. At this juncture the current programme was implemented in three different centres viz., Kollam (Kerala), Kalpeni (Lakshadweep islands) and Sippikulam, Thoothukudi, Tamil Nadu with an aim of training and total transferring of the technology of image ('mabe') and spherical pearl production to the fishers and empower them in marine pearl culture production technology. In this paper an attempt is made to detail the experience and results of adoption of village/SHG's respectively, feasibility study for pearl culture using Indian pearl oyster Pinctada fucata, development of infrastructure, training imparted, skill evaluation and the
Aim: Considering the potential harm caused by plastic pollution to the marine ecosystem, the present study was conducted to elucidate the status of microfiber and macrolitter in the selected areas of Thoothukudi on the South-east coast of India. Methodology: The abundance and distribution of subsurface microfibers in four locations of Tuticorin inshore waters were estimated by filtering subsurface waters using a 250µm mesh epineuston net. The non-biodegradable macrolitter on the seabed at three locations of Thoothukudi was estimated by swept area method. Results: Among the four selected stations, a higher quantity of microfibres was observed in the subsurface waters at 5m depth close to nearshore areas, with the highest mean numerical abundance of 3.13±0.3 nos.m l-1. The annual difference in the subsurface microfibre abundance varied significantly between stations (p<0.05). Plastics were the most dominant litter constituents on the sea beds among three stations. A significant seasonal variation (p<0.05) with maximum mean total macrolitter abundance was noticed on the seabed at Kayalpattinam (45.81± 9.3 kg km-2). The estimated mean macrolitter abundance at all the stations was higher than the reported national average of 10.95±3.05 kg km-2. Interpretation: This study revealed variations in the abundance and distribution of microfibers and macrolitters in the selected areas of Tuticorin. The study emphasises the role of land and marine-based anthropogenic activities in the plastic pollution of this region. Key words: Abundance, Gulf of mannar, Microfibres, Macrolitter, Subsurface waters, Seabed
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