Coastal Nonliving and Living Resources Prof.Amalesh Choudhury (Fomer HOD.Dept. of Marine Science, Calcutta Univ.) & Seceratary S.D.MARINE BIOLOGICAL RESEARCH INSTITUTE Sagar Island,West Bengal,India.
Indian Coastal Environment INDIAN SUBCONTINENT
The coast can be thought of as an area of interaction between land and the ocean (Ketchum, 1972) Importance of Coastal Zone: Coasts being dynamic in nature are influences differently all around the world. Coasts provide diverse and productive ecosystems for the benefit of human populations.
More than 60% of world population reside near the coast and about two-thirds of the worlds cities occur near the coast. Diverse eco-system related to biotic and abiotic coastal resources, tourism and pilgrimage, port and port related industries and to reap the economic benefit of all these ecosystems or their adverse impacts attributed to the coastal environment and all these activities warrant-coastal zone management.
Important Ecosystem of Coastal Zone (Exclusive Economic Zone) 1. Tourism and pilgrimage spots of Historical importance. 2. Abiotic resources viz. petroleum products and gas. 3. Development of port and port related industries. 4. Biotic resources: Mangroves, coral reefs, Estuarine wetlands, Lagoons (chilika) and marsh grass wet lands. Two sectors for West Bengal coast have been focused: 1. Sundarban sector. 2. Digha sector. Sagar Island of Sundarban sector has been primarily selected for management. In Digha sector Haldia to Digha is the prime coastal zone under consideration for ICZM.
* 60 percent of the world population reside near the coastal regions of the continents for their sustenance and multifarious livelihoods. * The coastal population of West Bengal is around 2.47 million in the three coastal districts-east Midnapore, North and South 24 parganas (2011 census). * The main objective of the coastal zone management is to improve the quality of life of human communities who depend on coastal resources, living and nonliving resources, while maintaining the biological diversity and productivity of coastal ecosystem.
For Research & Development and Management of the Marine Resources we have 10 premier National Institutions 1.Fishery Survey of India. 2.Zoological survey of India. 3.Botanical Survey of India. 4.Central Inland Fishery Research Institute. 5.Central Marine Fishery Research Institute. 6.Central Institute of Fresh Water Aquaculture. 7.Central Institute of Brackish Water Aquaculture. 8.Central Institute of Fishery Education. 9.Marine Product Export Development Authority. 10.Dept.of Earth Science & Ocean Technology.
Nonliving Coastal Marine Resources A scientific basis is needed for designing national policies on exploration, development and extraction of nonliving resources. Specially, it is important to assess the potential of nonliving resources within the country s Exclusive Economic Zone(EEZ), determine the broad Research and Development (R&D) policy requirements to enhance the potential of nonliving resources, and identify potential and economic benefits from marine nonliving resources.
The country possesses nonliving resources in the EEZ whose magnitude and quality are such that it can transform the country into an affluent and strong industrial state, if properly harnessed. Among these resources are the almost limitless renewable energy, ocean thermal gradient, tidal current and waves. Seawater is virtually a limitless source of fresh water as well as of metals and other substances dissolved in it.
The vast tidal current, OTEC (Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion) which can generate electricity due to the temp. difference between the warm surface water and cold deep bottom water, and wave energy resources exist in the ocean. There are also potential petroleum and natural gas deposits discovered and being explored from the East coast and West coast littoral and sub littoral belts.
Elements like sodium, potassium, chlorine, bromine, iodine, and magnesium are found dissolved in sea water in economic concentrations. Sodium chloride, commonly known as table salt, can be produced as a by-product in the production of electricity by OTEC. Large deposits of Manganese Nodules (Feromanganese), cobalt rich crusts and massive sulfides can be found within EEZ and continental margin.
Given the vast non-living resources, we have the option to preserve them or let our people suffer from poverty or take bold steps to harness them for the benefit of the country. High Power Agencies have realized the benefits from our rich resources in the sea by undertaking R&D geared towards: 1.Transforming undiscovered resources to known energy and other valuable resources without undertaking expensive exploration and development.
2. Indicating how the initially uneconomic resources can be made economic by developing the necessary technologies and improving policies and market conditions to greatly lowering the cost of extraction of these resources, and 3. Showing how to overcome environmental problems due to extraction of non-living resources.
LIVING RESOURCES FROM THE SEA INDIAN PERSPECTIVE * Food resources from the sea * Drug resources from the sea * Biotechnological and Industrial Components From The Sea * Ornamental and curio supplements from the sea.
FISHING THE LIVING RESOURCES Finfish,Shellfish (shrimps, crabs and mollusks, oysters, squids, cuttle fish and cockles and clams). Holothuroid(sea cucumber) sea ranching a type of mariculture. Marine edible algae ( green and brown algae) Marine green and red algae as source of medicine and industrial ingredients. Culturable pearl mother oysters.
Conch shells for cultural, religious and medicinal ingredients. Whales, seals and dolphins, sea cows and porpoises and Marine Turtles. Mangrove associated Bio-resources. (Both as food and medi-resources. Coral reef associated Bio-resources(Both as food and medi-resources). benthic blue green algae and Plankton(zooand phyto-) resources.
FISH & FISHERY RESOURCES OF INDIAN COAST
CORAL REEF RESOURCES OF INDIAN COAST
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