06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation
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Gulf of Kachchh<br />
same coast Spongomorpha indica has been<br />
reported for the first time by Thivy & Visalakhmi<br />
(1963b). The elegant looking Caulerpa<br />
verticillata has been recorded from Okha reef by<br />
Thivy & Visalakhmi (1963a). Thivy & Sreenivasa<br />
Rao (1963) reported the occurrence of<br />
Polysiphonia gopnathensis from the reef at<br />
Gopnath. Chondria armata has been reported<br />
from Port Okha from the lower mid-littoral levels of<br />
Adatra by Thivy & Sreenivasa Rao (1963). A<br />
detailed description of the different species of<br />
Ulva has been given by Krishamurthy & Joshi<br />
(1968). The species of Enteromorpha from India,<br />
many of which one existed in the Gulf of Kachchh,<br />
have been described in detail by Joshi and<br />
Krishnamurthy (1972). An analysis of the seaweed<br />
drift on the Saurashtra coast and its constituents<br />
, have been given by Krishnamurthy (1967). A<br />
survey of the alginate producing seaweeds from<br />
Adatra reef (Okha) has been done by Sreenivasa<br />
Rao et al. (1964).<br />
Murthy et al. (1987) made an ecological study on<br />
the intertidal algae at Okha wherein they have<br />
described the fluctuations in mean monthly<br />
biomass and the environmental factors. According<br />
to them Sargassum is the only genus which was<br />
present in the sampling units throughout the year.<br />
Further, they observed that the contribution of<br />
Chlorophyceae to the total biomass was less as<br />
compared to that by Phaeophyceae or<br />
Rhodophyceae.<br />
There exists a definite contrast between the two<br />
coasts of the Gulf as regards species diversity and<br />
biomass, with luxuriant growth on the southern<br />
shores. The inter-tidal expanse varies from 1-5 kID<br />
with gradual slope and mostly coralline<br />
substratum on the south, very conducive for algal<br />
growth. The MNP area houses 89 species. Species<br />
recorded from a few island were 79 from Bet<br />
Dwarka, 43 from Kalubhar and 40 from Pirotan.<br />
Red algal species (Rhodophycease) dominated<br />
with 39 species, followed by 25 green algae<br />
(Chlorophyceae), 21 brown (Phaeophyceae) and<br />
only 3 blue-green (Cynophyceae)(Sen Gupta et al.,<br />
1999).<br />
The northern shore of the Gulf, on the other hand,<br />
has very poor algal biodiversity. The substratum<br />
being sandy/muddy it does not support algal<br />
growth. Only Enteromorpha (Chlorophyceae) and<br />
some blue-green algae were found in the mangrove<br />
region of Mundra.<br />
8<br />
The supra-littoral zone of the southern shores was<br />
dominated by Ulva sp. Other common algae in this<br />
region were green algae Ernodesmis, Struvea<br />
and Microdictyon and non-articulated coralline<br />
algae-Melobasia(red algae): Brown algae Padina,<br />
Dictyota, Colopomenia, Iyengaria dominated<br />
the mid-littoral zone. Red algae Kjellimania,<br />
Halymenia, Griffisthsia, etc. were dominant in<br />
the lower mid-littoral and sub-tidal zones. Subtidal<br />
region (below 5 meter water depth) was<br />
dominated by Sargassum, Turbinaria and<br />
Kjellimania (Sen Gupta et al., 1999).<br />
c. Sea grass :<br />
Seagrass species exist in the subtidal regions of a<br />
few islands. Two Halophila species exist off<br />
Kalubhar and H. ovalis and Thalassia can be<br />
found off Pirotan. Rich sea grass beds off Kalubhar<br />
islands indicate high prospects of the presence of<br />
the rare and endangered species Dugong dugon,<br />
the sea cow.<br />
d. Mangroves :<br />
The area under mangrove cover along the Gujarat<br />
coast is the second largest in India, next to the<br />
Sunderbans. Of the 1031 km' for State, the Gulf of<br />
Kachchh region with 994 km' mangrove cover<br />
forms 96% of the total. Majority of this mangrove<br />
cover belongs to the Kachchh district,<br />
encompassing an area of 854 kID' (86% of Gulf) of<br />
which over 800 kID'borders the Kori creek (Forest<br />
Statistics, 1998). The coast of Jamnagar and<br />
Rajkot district cover an area of 141 kID' (14%). The<br />
notified mangrove forest ,area is 1324.4 km' for<br />
Kachchh, Jamnagar and Rajkot district together.<br />
Although this region has the maximum mangrove<br />
cover in the State, it displays the low diversity<br />
with only one dominating species Avicennia<br />
marina (Cher) along with mangrove associated<br />
species, like Salvadora per sica, Salicornia<br />
brachaiata, Sueda sp. and Alueropus grass<br />
(Chavan, 1985). On the other hand, Jamnagar<br />
region houses 7 species, e.g. A. marina,<br />
A.officinalis, A.alba, Rhizopora mucronata,<br />
Ceriops tagal and Aegiceras comuculatum<br />
(Singh, 2000, GEER <strong>Foundation</strong> 2002. These<br />
mangroves were having the associate halophytes<br />
as above, (Singh, 2000).<br />
Due to high salinity, grazing and cutting pressure<br />
on the Kachchh mangroves, they have stunted<br />
growth (1-2 m tall). However, trees in some<br />
untouched patches gain a height of 4-5 m on<br />
Pirotan island and 5-10 m in Kori Creek with fairly