VISAKHAPATNAM: The dead Puffer Fish found on the beach near the Submarine Museum in Vizag on Wednesday has brought the issue of human interference and change in the sea climate taking a toll on the marine bio-diversity to the fore again. Scientists say that the death of the Puffer Fish might have occurred due to the changes in the sea climate.
They say that sea species being washed ashore has become a common sight during the cyclonic storms and the upwelling in the sea water is to blame for. Researchers say that there has been at least 80 per cent decrease in the marine species off Vizag coast, which have been placed in the Red List compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Andhra University zoology Professor DE Babu says that this is a common phenomenon during the cyclonic circulations.
“Ahead of onset of north-east monsoon, there is a depression off the coast which pushes the deep ocean water towards the surface. Some marine species can’t balance themselves and are washed ashore,” said Babu, adding that the exact reason for the death of the Puffer Fish is yet to be ascertained. Exploring the probable reasons, he says Puffer Fish can’t adapt to the high temperatures along the Vizag coast. “Not the natives of the inter-tidal zones, Puffer Fish prefers the habitats with the temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius. So, migration to the high-temperature zone might be the cause of death,” he explains.
Babu says that a series of research has found that the number of rare marine species off the Rushikonda Beach and Lawson’s Bay are dwindling. “During 1980’s, Rushikonda Beach was not a popular tourist destination and a variety of marine species such as oysters, crabs, shrimps, Polychaete worms, Mollusks and Cypress swamp were found. The human disturbance has caused the dwindling of these species,” he says.
Recently, several hundreds of fishing boat stayed anchored to the Vizag coast owing to rapid dwindling of catch in the usual fishing zone. Fishermen say that the sea water 2 km off the Vizag coast is now facing more heavy currents which were not the case earlier. The change in the sea climate has taken a toll on the zooplanktons and other marine algae which are not found in their regular habitat anymore. The scientists blame it on the rise in the sea temperature.
“The sea surface temperature now is reaching up to 35 degrees Celsius when compared to the seasonal average of 28 degrees. Plankton and micro-organisms and seaweed populations are also on a rapid decline due to the rise in the temperatures. So, fish and other marine species are going to the deep sea in search of feed,” says V Murthy, a scientist of National Institute of Oceanography (NIO), Vizag.
‘Protected marine zone is the need of the hour’
Citing that heavy human interference is taking a toll on the marine species on and off Vizag Coast, scientists bat for the creation of a protected marine zone, saying that it would help the marine species thrive their natural habitat. “Though tourism sector needs to be given a boost, marine species also need to be protected. It would be better if a few areas along the Vizag coast are declared as the marine protected zine,” says AU Zoology Professor DE Babu.
He suggests that a mesh should be constructed in the 500-metre stretch of Rushikonda which has a good shingle sea urchin population. “The tourists can also see the species sans interference. A similar project was taken up on the Mandapam Beach in Tamil Nadu, where boating has been banned to preserve the corals and oysters,” he says, adding that creation of mangrove patches on the Bheemili coast can also contribute to the fish production.