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

FisheI:)' and fishing communities; Gulf of Kachchh
is an important fishing grounds for prawns,
lobsters, pomfrets, catfisb, bombay duck, mullets,
sharks, clupeids and many other commercially
important fishes. A large number of fishing villages
are dependent upon Gulf of Kachchh fisheries for
livelihood. However, fishermen are uneducated
and they have so far not been known for latest
fishing technoiogy. Proper knowiedge of gear, nets
and boats is lacking because of illiterate fishermen
and negligence of local fishing authority. Fishing
area and period should be allotted and strictly
followed by the local fishery societies, which may
reduce overexploitation. Creeks and reef area
should be strictly prohibited for the fishing as it is
the nursery ground for many fishes.
P. penicillatus and M. kutchensis have wide
distribution, high growth rate and market value.
Hence culture of this species is desirable. Even
many landing station are still lacking of cold
storage facility. Hence, local businessmen should
be encouraged to start cold storage at each of the
landing station to avoid the spoiling of fresh stock
of fish. Many areas have fishery co-operative
society. But these societies run on their own and
have different rules and regulation. There should
be some governance on operation of these
societies.
Drag-netting of fish and prawns should be totally
banned on all the reefs, since this fishing activity
uproots the coral heads.
Serious efforts should be made for the
improvement of infrastructure facility in fishing
station and the basic needs in the villages such as
drinking water. hospital, roads, education should
be provided.
Fuel wood and fodder requirements' Social
forestry programme has to be strengthened for
each of the coastal village for the fuel and fodder
requirement. This may provide optional source for
them to divert from traditional cutting of
mangroves for fuel wood. Even the participation of
native people should be encouraged. Rural
Development department should provide financial
support such activities. Iu case of the land belongs
to forest Department, the prescriptions given in
the working plan should be considered.
Harvesting of mangrove leaves: Permission to
harvest mangrove leaves as fodder for livestock
should not be given under any circumstances, not
even during drought years. The mangroves in the
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Gulf of Kachchh
Gulf of Kachchh and the Kori creek area off the
west coast of India. are one of the main reasons
for a high productivity of waters in the Gulf of
Kachchh and Arabian Sea.
Restoration of mangrove forests; The mangrove
vegetation has certain striking peculiarities as
compared to the other ecosystems of the globe.
They provide food through their detritus pool, to
the marine fauna, and due to this reason there is
always a rich catch of different types of fishes,
prawns, etc. from the Gulf of Kachchh. The
mangroves are solely .responsible for arresting soil
erosion and thus stabilize the coastal soils in the
gulf. The mangrove also provide necessary
roosting and/or nesting sites for a wide variety of
migratory and resident water birds. The mangrove
vegetation of Gulf of Kachchh is an important and
integral part of marine ecosystem and there is an
urgent necessity, now; to take necessary steps to
conserve these ecosystems on a priority basis,
which otherwise, is being tampered continuously
by man and his agents, resulting in the
devastation of our marine wealth. Following are
some of the suggestions for conservation and
development of mangroves.
a) Primary attention should be paid to the
mangrove forests existing on different islands
and along the coastline in the Gulf. Mangroves
in this area are extensively cut and used as
fuel and fodder.
b) Camel grazing on the coastal and island
mangroves is quite heavy which should be
checked and totally prohibited.
c) Any settlement or farming on the island should
not be permitted. At present, Ajad and Bet
Dwarka are the islands in the Gulf where
human inhabit. Other islands like Kalubhar.
Garu, Shiyadri are used by people from
mainland for farming just after the monsoon.
d) The plantations of mangroves should be carried
out at the potential sites.
Commercial exploitation of algae: There are
number of commercially important seaweeds like
agarophytes (Gracillaria, Gelidium. Hypnea,
Gelidiella, etc) with good reproductive potential
and regeneration capacity. However, the biomass
that is available through these forms is far less as
compare to earlier records. This is obviously due
to the unmethodical harvest during inappropriate
periods. Undue tampering of the sea weeds at
critical level hampers the onward continuance of