Download BIOPROSPECTING OF MARINE RESOURCES IN INDIA

BIOPROSPECTING OF MARINE
RESOURCES IN INDIA
S.C. SANTRA
DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
UNIVERSITY OF KALYANI, NADIA, WEST BENGAL
Email: [email protected]
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Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) 2.02 million sq. km.
East coast 0.56 million sq.km.
West coast 0.86 million sq.km.
Around Andaman & Nicober island 0.60 million sq.km.
Coastal and marine biodiversity of India
Name of Species
No of species
Marine bacteria
> 200
Marine fungi
>350
Phytoplankton
>400
Zooplankton
>350
Marine Invertebrates
>15,000
Fish
>2546
Amphibian/reptile
>35
Mammals
>25
Marine benthic algae -
630
Sea grass
14
Mangrove vegetation
39
Seaweed : It refers to several species
of macroscopic, multicellular, marine algae
that live near the seabed (benthic).
Seaweeds can also be classified by use (as
food,
medicine,
fertilizer,
filtration,
industrial, etc.).
Sponge and coral : sponges and coral
have a lot in common. They both just sit
there underwater, filtering food particles,
living in large colonies that provide
habitats for other animals.
Crustacean diversity: Crustaceans form a
very large group of arthropods, which
includes such familiar animals as crabs,
lobsters, crayfish, shrimp, krill and
barnacles.
Many
crustaceans
are
consumed by humans.
Mollusca and echinoderms: Mollusks
found in freshwater and marine
environments as well as on land.
Echinoderms live exclusively in marine
environments. Famous echinoderms
include sea stars and sea urchins.
There is a significant impact on marine bioresources by various economic activities viz.
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Offshore drilling
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Aquaculture
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Port activities
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Tourism
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Coastal mining
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Marine fishing
Source: MPEDA
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Frozen shrimps
Frozen Fish
Frozen cuttle Fish
Frozen Squid
Dried fish/shrimp and cuttle fish/squid
Live fish/cuttle fish/squid
Chilled Fish/Cuttle fish/Squid
Others
Source: MPEDA
Source: MPEDA
Source: MPEDA
Country
% of Share
South East Asia
26.38
USA
25.68
EU
20.24
Japan
8.21
China
5.85
Middle East
5.45
Others
8.21
Source: MPEDA
Source: MPEDA
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India’s rapid population, economic and industrial growth has created
pressures on the coastal resources. Some coastal stretches in India are
highly polluted with municipal waste deriving from urbanization and
tourism, waste generated from industry, chemical agents from
fertilizers and pesticides and silt from degraded catchments.
Untreated sewage and other non-industrial waste account more
pollution than industrial effluents. Mining of sand from the sea-bed
results in an increase in turbidity in the ambient water, which affects
benthic organisms and primary productivity by limiting the
availability of light.
Aquaculture activity in some parts of India has also placed
considerable pressure on coastal resources. Construction of
breakwaters, which forms part of the port development, alters the
sediment transport mechanisms in the coastal areas, thereby causing
erosion or accretion.
The Coastal Zone Regulation Notification was issued in 1991 in
India, under the EPA, 1986.
The Notification aims at protecting and improving the quality of
the coastal environment. The Notification declares the limits of the
Coastal Zone and classifies it into four categories for purpose of
regulation. CRZ I includes areas which are ecologically sensitive,
areas of outstanding natural beauty, historical heritage or rich
genetic diversity. CRZ II includes the areas that have already been
developed up to or close to the shoreline. Areas that are relatively
undisturbed are classified under CRZ III. CRZ IV includes the
coastal stretches in the Andaman and Nicobar, Lakshadweep and
other small islands except those designated as CRZ I, II and III.
The Coastal Ocean Monitoring and Prediction
systems (COMAPS) programme was launched in
1991, by the Department of Ocean Development
(DOD) for monitoring the health of India’s coastal
waters.
The programme monitors the effect of anthropogenic
activities on the marine environment periodically and
assesses the impact on the marine flora and fauna in
the coastal waters of India. Studies related to the
waste assimilation capacity of coastal waters have
been undertaken from 1997-98 onwards.
To address the concern for conservation of marine living
resources, in some marine areas which support high
biodiversity, such as the Gulf of Mannar and Wandoor
(Andaman) have been declared as marine national
parks, while some other coastal areas such as the
Malvan coast (Maharashtra) and the Gulf of Kutch
(Gujarat) have been declared marine sanctuaries. The
Gahirmatha beach (Orissa) where mass nesting of the
endangered Olive Ridley turtle takes place was
accorded marine sanctuary status in 1997.
A marine protected area (MPA) is essentially a space in the ocean where human activities are
more strictly regulated than the surrounding waters - similar to parks we have on land. These
places are given special protections for natural or historic marine resources by local, state,
territorial, native, regional, or national authorities.
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A totally marine area with no significant terrestrial parts.
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An area containing both marine and terrestrial components, which can vary between two
extremes; those that are predominantly maritime with little land (for example,
an atoll would have a tiny island with a significant maritime population surrounding it),
or that is mostly terrestrial.
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Marine ecosystems that contain land and intertidal components only. For example,
a mangrove forest would contain no open sea or ocean marine environment, but its
river-like marine ecosystem nevertheless complies with the definition.
Source: K Sivakumar, Coastal and Marine BiodiversityProtected Areas in India:
2013.
Source: A paper presented by Chandrika Sharma at a workshop
organized by the International Collective in Support of Fishworkers
in Chennai in 2009
Five species of marine turtles are found in Indian coastal waters. These are the
green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas),Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea),
loggerhead (Caretta caretta), leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea), and
hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelyx imbricata). Except for the Loggerhead, the other
four species nest in India. The BhitarKanika WildLife Sanctuary is another
globally important site for nesting for the Olive Ridley turtle. A total of 32
critical habitats which include the Gulf of Kutch, Gulf of Khambat, Gulf of
Malvan, islands off Karwar, islands off Kochi and Lakshadweep islands have
been identified in India.
Green sea turtle
Olive ridley turtles
loggerhead turtle
leatherback sea turtle
Hawksbill turtle
Aquaculture activity got a boost in the early 1990s in the
coastal parts of India on account of economic liberalization
policies initiated by the GOI. The increased production was
both a result of increased area under expansion and
increased productivity. Coastal aquaculture in India is
mainly related to shrimp farming. The contribution of
cultured shrimps to the total shrimp export increased from
48.78% in 1988-89 to 75.07 % in 1998-99.
The Supreme Court declaring it contrary to the CRZ
notification and banning all aquaculture activities, except
traditional and improved traditional within upto 500 m of
the High Tide Line (HTL) in most coastal areas.
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The Maritime Zones of India (Regulation of fishing by Foreign Vessels)
Act, 1981 provides regulations for foreign fishing vessels operating in
Indian waters. The Coast Guard and the State/UT Police has been
authorized under the Act to apprehend and prosecute unauthorized
foreign fishing vessels/crew for fishing/poaching in Indian waters.
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The Marine Fishing Regulation Act (MFRA), 1978. Consistent with the
guidelines contained in the MFRA, 1978, which is a model act, providing
guidelines to the maritime states, legislations have been enacted and
enforced for regulating fishing and conservative measures in territorial
waters. Such state enactments provide for regulation of mesh size to
avoid catching juvenile fish, regulation of gear to avoid over-exploitation
of certain species, reservation of zones for various fishing sectors to
provide exclusive rights to traditional fishermen to fish unhindered in
near-shore areas and also for declaration of closed seasons during the
fish-breeding period to avoid catching of young juvenile fish.
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Sea weeds (Gracillaria, Gelidium, Porphyra,
Tubinaria, Padina, Sargassum etc.)
Horse Shoe Crab
Other benthic Algae
Mollusc (Cuttle fish, Lobster)
Echinoderms
Marine fishes
Marine
Benthic algae
Antimicrobial activity of marine benthic algae
Antimicrobial activity of marine benthic algae
Gracilaria : It is a genus of red algae (Rhodophyta) notable for its economic importance as
an agarophyte, as well as its use as a food for humans and various species of shellfish.
Gelidium: It is a genus of thalloid red algae. Many of the algae in this genus are used to
make agar, whose componets are the polysaccharide agarose and agaropectin, from the
large amount of algin which is located in the algae's cell wall
This algae is used to make agar, whose componets are the polysaccharide agarose
and agaropectin, from the large amount of algin which is located in the algae's cell wall, as
well it is sometimes served as part of a salad, puddings, jams, and other culinary dishes in
producing regions.
Porphyra is a coldwater seaweed that grows in cold, shallow seawater. More specifically, it
is belong to red algae phylum of laver species. It is used to produce the sea
vegetable products Nori (in Japan) and Gim (in Korea).
Most human cultures with access to Porphyra use it as a food or somehow in the diet,
making it perhaps the most domesticated of the marine algae, known
as laver, nori(Japanese), amanori (Japanese), zakai, gim (Korean), zicai (Chinese), karengo
sloke or slukos
Gracillaria
Gelidium
Porphyra
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Turbinaria is a genus of brown algae (Phaeophyceae) found
primarily in tropical marine waters. It generally grows on
rocky substrates and are often preferentially consumed
by herbivorous fishes and echinoids. It used as a way of
removing lead from aqueous solutions
Padina pavonica is a brown alga of the family of
Pheophycaea.
The Active molecules of the extract of Padina pavonica
(AMPP) amplify the fixation of calcium by osteoblasts
Sargassum is a genus of brown (class Phaeophyceae)
macroalgae (seaweed) in the order Fucales.
Tubinaria
Padina
Sargassum
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Horseshoe crabs are marine arthropods of the family Limulidae and order Xiphosura or
Xiphosurida, that live primarily in and around shallow ocean waters on soft sandy or muddy
bottoms. Tetrodotoxin may be present in the roe of species inhabiting the waters of Thailand.
Horseshoe crabs are extremely important to the biomedical industry because their unique,
copper-based blue blood contains a substance called Limulus amebocyte lysate. The substance,
which coagulates in the presence of small amounts of bacterial toxins, is used to test for sterility
of medical equipment and virtually all intravenous drugs.
Benthic algae: Micro algae are ubiquitous in aquatic areas where sunlight reaches the sediment
surface. are a source of food, energy and cover for many organisms. Dead algae also drift to the
open ocean and are a source of food for detritus and filter feeders in ecosystems further away.
Benthic microorganisms (benthic microalgae and bacteria) are instrumental in controlling the
exchange of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, across the sediment-water interface.
Benthic microalgae, in particular, may help to buffer the water column from eutrophication by
storing nutrients that would otherwise be used by phytoplankton and bacteria in the water
column.
Cuttlefish are marine animals of the order Sepiida. In East Asia, dried, shredded cuttlefish is a
popular snack food. In the Qing Dynasty manual of Chinese gastronomy, the Suiyuan shidan, the
roe of the cuttlefish is considered a difficult to prepare but sought-after delicacy. Cuttlefish ink
was formerly an important dye, called sepia. Today, artificial dyes have mostly replaced natural
sepia
Horse Shoe Crab
benthic Algae
Cuttle fish
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Lobsters comprise a family (Nephropidae, sometimes also Homaridae) of large
marine crustaceans. They have long bodies with muscular tails, and live in crevices or burrows
on the sea floor. Highly prized as seafood, lobsters are economically important, and are often
one of the most profitable commodities in coastal areas they populate.
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Echinoderm is the common name given to any member of the Phylum Echinodermata.
These were harvested, mainly for consumption
Marine fish Fish-derived bioactive peptides can be developed as antihypertensive
components in functional foods or nutraceuticals. This contribution presents an overview
of the ACE inhibitory peptides derived from marine fishes and discusses their future
prospects to be used as potential drug candidates for preventing and treating high blood
pressure.
Jelly fish An international research team led by University of Queensland venomologist
Associate Professor Bryan Fry has developed a new technique for 'milking' box jellyfish to
extract deadly venom for the development into lifesaving drugs.
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Lobster
Echinoderms
Marine fishes
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The Government of India has given considerable attention to
commitments under Agenda 21 with regard to the marine environment.
The Government has been successful in collecting scientific data in
various fields of oceanography.
What is required now is to recognize the linkages between the health
of the environment and anthropogenic activities, through a more
detailed study of the processes involved, their linkages with the social
system and a greater use of inputs from the social sciences.
Because of the multiple uses to which coastal areas can be put, the
major challenge in coastal management is resource-use conflict in
coastal areas. Such conflicts of interest arise between traditional and
development cultures, between different users, between the small,
medium and large fishermen and between the coastal community and
the polluters.
These conflicts can be meaningfully resolved through an integrated
approach that assimilates inputs from various disciplines and a greater
use of multi-stakeholder consultation at all levels.
Thank you