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

GulfofKachchh falls in an indentation in the Saurashtra
peninsula on the western coast of india. This Gulf lies
between 22'15'N to 23' N latitude and 69'E to 70'35' E
longitude and occupies an area of 7350 sq. kms.
The Gulf houses 42 islands with submerged reefs,
coastal swamps, estuaries, coastal sand patches, corals
and mangroves all along the southern coast. The
northern plank of the Gulf I.e. area from Jhakhau to
Kandla have irregular dissected configurations. The
western half, overlooking the open Arabian Sea is
dominantly muddy with extensive mud flats. The eastwest
coastline, lining the inside of the gulf is sandy and
silty with narrow beaches. The Gulf of Kachchh is the
only area in Gujarat where corals exist. Out of the total
42 islands 33 are fringed with coral reefs (25 with live
corals) and 20 with mangroves. The monograph on
Biological Diversity of Gujarat listed 40 species and 23
genera of stony corals, 3 species of soft corals and 4 sea
fans from the Gulf.Most of these corals are hermatypes
(reef forming) while only a few are ahermatypes.
Biologicaldiversity of the area is attributed to the varied
habitats, which support over 103 species of algae
including 3 species of sea grasses, 10 species of
mangroves, 279 of coastal flora, 74 species of sponges,
52 species of soft and hard corals, 4 species of seaanemones,
144species of fish, 27 species of prawns, 21
species crabs, 200 species of molluscans, 3 species of
turtles, 4 species of sea snakes, 3 species of aquatic
mammals and about 200 species of birds. Colourful
sponges and corals, reef fish, prawns, lobsters, pearl
oysters, windowpane oysters, sea horses, sea hare, giant
sea anemone, puffer fish, sharks, cat fish, ray fish, stat
fish, sea urchin, sea turtle, dolphin and dugong or the
sea cow are"some of the important inhabitants of this
Gulf.
The phytoplankton production in the Gulfof Kachchh is
moderate. The presence of 31 genera with 41 species.
The common species of phytoplanktons include
Nitzshia, Thallassionema, Thallassiosina,
Conscinodiscus while species like Cocolithophorides,
Cyclotella etc were rare.
Gujarat harbors around 210 species of marine algae,
with a projected bio-mass of more than 1,00,000toni
year. The Gulf contributes to the maximum species and
biomass level as wall for the west coast of India. A total
of 81 species of algae are reported from the Gulf.
The area under the mangrove cover along the coast of
Gujarat is second largest in India, next to the
Sunderbans. About 994 sq.km of the area is covered ,,1th
mangroves in the gulf, which is 96% of the total
GULF OF KACHCHH
mangrovecover ofthe state. Though the mangroveforest
area is largest in the state the diversity is very lowwith
Avicennia marina being the dominant species. The
other species includeAvicennia offficinalis,Avecennia
alba, Rhizhophora mucronata, Ceriops tagal and
Aegiceras corniculata. The mangrove associates
include Salvadora persica, Salicornia brachiata,
Sueda sp and Aleuropus grass sp.
The fauna of the Gulfof Kachchh is equally diverse. The
gulf is moderately rich in zooplankton species with
frequent occurrence of high standing organisms. The
composition of zooplanktons mainly consits of copepods
and decapods. Major other groups include
Chaetognatha, Siphanophores, Medusae, Amphipods,
Polychates and fish eggs. The other invertebrates mainly
consist of corals, molluscans, crustaceans, echinoderms,
amphipods, gorgonias and bryozoans.
The mammals include dolphins, and endangered and
threatened dugong and porpoise while reptiles include 3
" species of turtles and 4 species of sea snakes. Several
commercially important marine species, for example,
some varieties of prawns and shrimps, breed and spend
a part of their life cycles in this environment.
The various ecosystems in the Gulf of Kachchh as well
as the surrounding areas acts as a nursery and breeding
ground for various faunal species. Coral reefs are
considered to be a nursery and breeding ground for
many of the invertebrates, algae, plankton, etc., which
provide the feed for many fishes and prawns. Many
waterfowl also prefer to make their nests on mangroves.
Mangroves are considered to be an important site for
bird nesting. The sail pans surrounding the Gulf of
Kachchh even provides various birds their nesting area
as it is away from public interference. The sandy
beaches and scrub vegetation on the coast also provides
nesting sites for many coastal birds.
Despite mounting efforts over the past 20 years, the loss
of the biological diversity, mainly from habitat
destruction, over-harvesting, pollution and the
inappropriate introduction of foreign plants and
animals has continued for ytelding sustainable benefits
throughout the country. Urgent and decisive action is
needed to conserve and maintain genes, species and its
ecosystems, with a view to the sustainable management
and use of biological resources. Effective plan is
required for conservation of biological and genetic
resources and for the enhancement of ecosystem
functions.