06-bioresourcesstatu.. - M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation

good girth of the trunk (Singh, 2000). Very often
salt encrustation on the ground level hampers the
growth of plant and tunes the land denuded and
unproductive (Naskar & Mandal, 1999).
The best conserved mangroves of Gujarat are
those which lie along the Kori creek, this is
because they are located in sparsely populated
area near the international border wtth Pakistan
and have relatively difficult accessibility.
Mangroves have been the subjects of several
researches in the past. Lakshmanan et al. (1983)
has described the economic significance of
mangroves as medicinal plants. They have
provided a comprehensive list of mangrove
species, with medicinal value of the different
parts. Lakshamanan et al. (1983) have stressed
the economical and ecological importance of
mangroves and provided gnidelines for the
conservation practices by which mangroves can be
effectively utilized as renewable resources.
Khachar (1996) prescribed afforestation of
mangroves as a remedy for the indiscriminate
felling of the mangroves on the coast and adjacent
islands of the gulf. Thereafter, Singh (1994)
extensively surveyed mangroves in the Gulf of
Kachchh. Singh (2000) presents the qualitative
and quantitative data on mangroves.
ii. Fauna
The first attempt to record the fauna of the
Okhamandal region, in a systematic and scientific
way, was done by James Hornell when he was
commissioned to do so by Shri. Sayajirao Gaekwad
of Baroda. Hornell submitted a comprehensive
report of the general survey of the coastal fauna to
the erstwhile Government of Baroda (Hornell,
1909; 1916). Another attempt to survey intertidal
fauna of certain parts of the Gulf of Kachchh was
made by Gideon et al. (1954). These authors have
given a comprehensive ecological and taxonomic
account of the different animal groups. Pillai et al
(1979) have given a preliminary generalized
account of the flora and fauna of the major coastal
ecosystems in Gulf of Kachchh based on a
reconnaissance survey, they have also briefly
described the prevailing physical features and the
visible ecological impact of human interference on
the ecosystem.-
a. Zooplankton :
The Gulf of Kachchh is moderately rich in
zooplankton with frequent occurrences of high
standing stock of organisms. The distribution
pattern was comparable to that of phytoplankton
9
Gulf of Kachchh
pigments. The inner Gulf sustained a higher rate
of zooplankton production. The composition was
fairly diverse and consisted mainly of cope pods
and decapods. The other major groups were
Chaetognaths, Siphonophores, Medusae,
Amphipods, Polychaetes and fish -eggs.
Contribution of decapods was more in the inner
Gulf with decrease in diversity. The rich
crustacean fauna, particularly the high
population of Streptocephalus, provided a
congenial feeding ground for prawns and fishes
(Desai, 1997).
During the lCMAM observations in 1998-99, 15
zooplankton forms were recorded from 4 stations.
The population density varied widely between the
stations, from 340 to 1766 organisms m-'. The
minimum was recorded at Pirotan and the
maximum was off Kandla. Fish eggs were the
dominant group everywhere (GEC, 1999). Earlier
records indicated Copepods as the dominant group
and Paracalanus as the most abundant species,
which were later confirmed during COMAPS data
collection.
In the ICMAMstudies, as well, copepods were the
dominant group represented by 6 species in which
Paracalanus sp. was the dominant one followed
by Centropages sp. different larval stages of
benthic crustaceans, such as, zoea, nauplii and
mysis were abundant at all the stations. In the
chaetognatha group, Sagitta sp. showed site
specificity occurring only near Pirotan. Veliger
larvae of gastropods and- trocophora larvae of
polychaetes appeared in considerable numbers,
may be due to the spawning period for molluscs
and polychaetes.
b. Marine invertebrates (Benthos) :
On the low-energy margin of the Gulf of Kachchh,
especially on the southern side, wide tidal flats
with patches of corals in the inter-tidal zone are
present. Th~ remainder of the Gulf consists of silt
and clay with patches of fine sand. Silt-size
materials are found at the mouth, fine silt and
medium silt occur at the southern side of the Gulf
at its head. The percentage of organic matter
varied between 1.9 and 2.4 percent. Over a period
of ten years from 1985 to 1994, an improvement in
various parameters such as biomass, population
and group diversity was observed.
Considerable information is available on the
economically important animal species. Hornell
(1951) prepared a monographic work on the
Indian molluscs, which lists the molluscs of Gulf of