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Kakoli Banerjee ¹, Shibdas Basu ², Atanu Kumar Raha ³, Abhijit Mitra ²

Affiliations
1 WWF-India Secretariat, Tiger and Wildlife Programme, Canning Field Office, 24 Paraganas (South), West Bengal 743 329, IN
2 Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta, 35, B.C.Road, Kolkata 700 019, IN
3 Additional PCCF, Directorate of Forest, Govt, of West Bengal, Aranya Bhawan, Salt Lake, Kolkata-98., IN

Abstract

Phytoplankton are minute, free floating, floral communities that are widely available in the marine and estuarine waters. They are totally dependent on nutrient availability, transparency, salinity and temperature of the water body. A comparative study was con­ducted to monitor the interrelationship between selected hydrological parameters (like surface water temperature, transparency, pH, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, phos­ phate and silicate) and chi α concentration at twenty different sampling stations in and around Indian Sundarbans during 2003 on seasonal basis. Significant positive correla­tion values were observed between salinity, pH and chl α, confirming high salinity and slightly alkaline pH to be extremely favourable for the growth and survival of the phy­toplankton species in the present geographical locale. The importance of transparency in promoting the growth of phytoplankton has also been confirmed. The significant nega­tive relationships between phytopigment (chl α) level and nutrient (nitrate and phos­ phate) concentrations of the ambient water confirm the necessity of nutrients as building blocks of marine phytoplankton. However an insignificant relationship was observed be­tween chl α and silicate. This may be due to less abundance of siliceous diatoms in com­ parison to flagellates in the present study area.

Keywords

Indian Sundarbans; Phytopigment; Phytoplankton; Nutrients; Correlation.

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Abhijit Mitra ¹, Kakoli Banerjee ², Atanu Kumar Raha ³, Sudipto Ghosh ¹, D. P. Bhattacharyya ⁴

Affiliations
1 Department of Marine Science, University of Calcutta 35, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata 700 019, IN
2 WWF-lndia Secretariat Oceans and Coasts Programme, 172-B, Lodi Estate, New Delhi 110 003, IN
3 Department of Forests, Govt, of West Bengal, Bikash Bhawan, 3rd Floor, North Block, Salt Lake, Kolkata 700 091, IN
4 Department of Theoretical Physics, Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science, Jadavpur, Kolkata 700 032, IN

Abstract

Sharks are important members of marine and estuarine food wehs and liave unique status of tlieir own not only witti respect to tlieir morplioJogical features, but also of their commercial value. Beside, the edible value, this cartilaginous fish community has great demand in the pharmaceutical industry In India the present annual shark production is around 47,000 tonnes, obtained as by catch from a variety of gears. Despite such commercial importance, no serious attempts have so far been made at any targeted exploitation of these valuable resources. Information on the composition of the species of shark landing is very scarce apart from the gross catch statistics. There are reports of the decline of shark population due to overexploitation, illegal poaching, water quality alteration etc in the coastal zone of IVest Bengal The present paper is an attempt to highlight the threats operating on this important cartilaginous fish community, with a conclusive conservative approach

Keywords

No Keywords.

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