Reporting of New Rookeries and Habitat of Mangrove Horse Shoe Crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) from Eastern Indian Sundarbans

Abstract

Ground level survey along with key informant Interviews has resulted in to identification of two rookeries and several habitat of the mangrove Horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) in Satjelia-Lahiripur Island under Gosaba block. This is the first confirmed HSC habitat and rookeries which have been identified from the eastern side of Bidyadhari and areas around project tiger areas. Three pairs of live HSC and forty-five (45) carcasses have been found. The identified location is the lowest point of human inhabited islands in eastern part of river Matla. Key Informant Interview by Snowball sampling or chain-referral sampling method revealed that that the HSC are sighted throughout the year while the pick time of sighting may be March-June in the estuary. The study has found out that HSCs entangle regularly in the galsha or the gillnet and Chawrpata and Khalpata (Shore stake nets and channel stake nets) while the juveniles have been mostly affected by the Chawrpata (shore stakes nets) in which they entangle themselves with receding waters and both desiccate to die in profuse numbers in low tide exposures. The females were found to be morphometrically larger than the males and are also found to be more prone to entangling in fishing nets. While the local population has reported about the coexistence of this species from time immemorial but progressive accretion and generation of new mud flats suitable as breeding beaches of mangrove horse shoe crabs in contrast to what is happening in their eroding rookeries in western Sundarbans might definitely be played some positive role towards this activities. Extensive awareness, restriction in use of certain fishing gears in breeding and nursery time of HSC by declaring certain areas as community eco sensitive zones with feasible fiscal alternatives are being recommended as immediate conservation action to save the species.