Development, tourism to affect fish reserves: NIO scientist (ToI)

Development, tourism to affect fish reserves: NIO scientist TNN | Aug 3, 2013, 01.45 AM IST PANAJI: Development and tourism along the coast could soon sound the death knell for Goa's fish reserves, said national institute of oceanography scientist Baban Ingole, addressing a workshop on coastal ecology recently. Right from ship-breaking scrapyards to the dredging of the sea-bed, human activity is destroying coastal ecology, leaving marine fauna in a toxic environment. As a result, fish catches are dwindling and the average size of commercial fish is shrinking, he explained. Quoting studies from Bangladesh, the world's biggest ship-breaking nation, Ingole said that the fish around scrapyards are contaminated with toxic substances. "Chemicals like ammonia are released into the sea water and this also affects the distribution of plankton, which is a major source of food for the fish," he said. While garbage and effluents from sea-side hotels are the visible effects of the tourism industry, the patrolling jeeps that ply up and down the inter-tidal area are silently destroying a major food-source for fish, Ingole pointed out. "The top 10 to 20 cm of the beach sand in the inter-tidal area is rich in biomass - a large number of burrowing species live and reproduce on this stretch of the coast. A major chunk of food for the fish is generated in the area, which is being ravaged by the heavy vehicles used to safeguard tourists," said Ingole. While large numbers of people walking up and down also contributes to the damage, the jeeps make unnecessary trips along the coastline just to plant and retrieve red flags, he pointed out, stressing the need to restrict their movement in the area. The state's fisheries are also at risk of destruction by oil spills, as 70% of global oil transportation occurs through the Arabian sea, Ingole said. "Due to pollution of seawater, fish habitats are changing drastically - the temperature of the water is rising, oxygen levels are going down and the concentration of organic and inorganic pollutants is on a high. While most commercial fish cannot withstand these conditions, predatory species are able to thrive in them, resulting in an invasion of carnivorous fish," he added. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/goa/Development-tourism-to-affect-fish-reserves-NIO-scientist/articleshow/21563631.cms