SECTION - TCSRD
1
B a t t l i n g o d d s Mithapur corals were a neglected lot till some time back and the coral population was on a decline due to the fishing activities along the Mithapur coast. Often fishing nets get entangled on the coral formations and since it is difficult to remove them, they are aban- doned by the fisher folk. They not only disturbed the coral growth but also proved to be virtual death traps for marine creatures and at times also the endangered marine turtles. Mithapur coast, I was told, is a regular nesting site for the Olive Ridley and the Green tur- tles. TCL has taken an initiative to overcome this problem and has banned all kinds of fish- ing activities near the reef. It has also launched an extensive cleaning programme of the area to remove damaged nets. The result of these initiatives are already visible and the steady growth and sighting of new corals support these claims. It was literally a race against time for me in the reef. I had entered the reef with the receding tide and had toiled hard to stay steady in the shallow waters. I had to be very careful of the marine creatures, especially the crabs, as these crustaceans are delicate crea- tures and a drop in guard would also mean inviting a sharp nip from their vice-like pin- cers. It was only about an hour during which I enjoyed the company of the wonderful corals, when the tides turned and waters started rising. I had to bid a reluctant goodbye to the magnificent corals as I hurried out of the sea. T he sea water had started reced- ing due to low tide when I reached the beach area of Mithapur, on the Saurashtra coast of Gujarat, early in the morning. Moving into the shallow waters, which came up to my thighs, for about a hun- dred feet, I walked through the coral reef and stood on the fringe of a tide pool, as an entire world of colourful creatures seemed to come alive. Visiting the Saurashtra coast, it was suggested that I visit the coral reefs in the Jamnagar and Mithapur area. These areas, specially the Mithapur region, I was told, has a very rich and virgin coral life in the reef area very close to the shore and was accessible at low tides. When I reached Mithapur I was met with the heartening news that the next morning was a low tide day and that the corals will be more than 50 per cent exposed. Mithapur, incidentally, is a small town where the Tata Chemicals Ltd (TCL) has its chemical production plant. Tata Chemicals, in association with Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), has undertaken research work and pro- tection of this coral reef that is teeming with marine bio- diversity. A magnificent world of corals opened up for Pradeep Chamaria, as he explored the reef area off the coast of Saurashtra at low tide THURSDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2017 Living on the fringes SECTION 2 A rich haul I w a s b r i e f e d b y S a t i s h f r o m T C L t h a t t h e f r i n g i n g r e e f a t M i t h a p u r h a r b o u r s s i x d i f f e r e n t t y p e s o f h a r d c o r a l s , i n c l u d i n g b r a i n c o r a l , s t a r c o r a l , m o o n c o r a s , p l a t e c o r a l , p o r i t i e s c o r a l a n d s t a g h o r n c o r a l . T h e p l a c e a l s o o f f e r e d a g r e a t o p p o r t u n i t y t o o b s e r v e m a r i n e l i f e a s s o c i a t e d w i t h t h e l i v e c o r a l s . T h e t o t a l a r e a o f t h e r e e f i s a b o u t 3 s q k m . A s I w a d e d i n , I c a m e a c r o s s t h e f i r s t m o o n c o r a l , s a i d t o b e t h e m a j o r i n h a b i t a n t o f t h i s a r e a . S o o n I c o u l d s e e a v a r i e t y o f c r a b s i n d i f f e r e n t s h a d e s , e e l s , o c t o p u s a n d s m a l l c o l o u r e d f i s h m o v i n g t h r o u g h t h e m a z e o f c o r a l f o r - m a t i o n s . I c o u l d e v e n s p o t a s t i n g r a y l y i n g b u r i e d i n t h e s a n d y b o t t o m r e a d y t o s t r i k e m e i f I d a r e d t o v e n t u r e n e a r i t . T h e t i m i d s e a h a r e w a s r e s t i n g u n d e r a f e w c o r a l s . S a t i s h i n f o r m e d m e t h a t i t w a s a v e r y h a r m l e s s c r e a t u r e a n d s o I t r i e d p i c k i n g i t u p . I t w a s a s l i p - p e r y l u m p o f f l e s h a n d I p l a c e d i t o n a n a l g a e f o r m a t i o n i n t h e s e a b e d t o c a p - t u r e i t o n m y c a m e r a . B u t i t s o o n b u n d l e d o u t i n a s m a l l l u m p o f s p o t t e d d i r t y g r e e n m a s s a n d s o m e h o w g o t m i x e d w i t h t h e a l g a e . I h a d a n i d e a t h a t t h i s c r e a t u r e h a s u n i q u e s e l f d e f e n c e t e c h n i q u e s a n d v e r y s o o n I s a w s o m e k i n d o f b l u i s h v i o l e t d i s c h a r g e c o m i n g o u t o f t h e h a r e . T h a t w a s w h e n I w a s i n f o r m e d t h a t t h e s e a h a r e w i l l s q u i r t i n k w h e n d i s t u r b e d t o f r i g h t e n i t s e n e - m i e s . A p r i z e d p o s s e s s i o n o f t h i s r e e f i s a c o l o n y o f r a r e b o n e l l i a s , w h i c h a r e n o r - m a l l y n o t t o b e s e e n l i v i n g c o l l e c t i v e l y . U n f o r t u n a t e l y , w h i l e t h e y w e r e v i s i b l e t o t h e n a k e d e y e , a s t h e y w e r e a l i t t l e d e e p i n t h e s e a w a t e r , I w a s u n a b l e t o c a p t u r e t h e i r m a g n i f i c e n t c o l o u r a n d t e x t u r e o n m y c a m e r a . I a l s o s p o t t e d a w i d e v a r i e t y o f s h e l l s ~ c o w r i e s , s p i r e s , a u g e r s , t u s k s h e l l , m u r e x , c o n c h , c o c k - l e s , l u c i d s , r o c k o y s t e r s , l i m p e t s , s n a i l s a n d t o p s h e l l s t o n a m e a f e w . S o m e o f t h e c o r a l s f o u n d a t M i t h a p u r P o r i t e s C o r a l ( P o r i t e s c o m p r e s s a ) P l a t e C o r a l ( M o n t i p o r a s p ) M o o n C o r a l ( F a v i a s p ) S t a r C o r a l ( S i d e r a s t r e a s a v i g n a y a n a ) L e p t o r i a P h r y g i a A s t r e o o r a s p T h e w r i t e r i s a f r e e l a n c e p h o t o g r a p h e r
Transcript of SECTION - TCSRD
Battling oddsMithapur corals were a neglected lot till some time back and the coral population was
on a decline due to the fishing activities along the Mithapur coast. Often fishing nets getentangled on the coral formations and since it is difficult to remove them, they are aban-doned by the fisher folk. They not only disturbed the coral growth but also proved to bevirtual death traps for marine creatures and at times also the endangered marine turtles.Mithapur coast, I was told, is a regular nesting site for the Olive Ridley and the Green tur-tles.
TCL has taken an initiative to overcome this problem and has banned all kinds of fish-ing activities near the reef. It has also launched an extensive cleaning programme of thearea to remove damaged nets. The result of these initiatives are already visible and thesteady growth and sighting of new corals support these claims.
It was literally a race against time for me in the reef. I had entered the reef with thereceding tide and had toiled hard to stay steady in the shallow waters. I had to be verycareful of the marine creatures, especially the crabs, as these crustaceans are delicate crea-tures and a drop in guard would also mean inviting a sharp nip from their vice-like pin-cers. It was only about an hour during which I enjoyed the company of the wonderfulcorals, when the tides turned and waters started rising. Ihad to bid a reluctant goodbye to the magnificent coralsas I hurried out of the sea.
The sea water had started reced-ing due to low tide when Ireached the beach area ofMithapur, on the Saurashtra
coast of Gujarat, early in the morning.Moving into the shallow waters, whichcame up to my thighs, for about a hun-dred feet, I walked through the coralreef and stood on the fringe of a tidepool, as an entire world of colourfulcreatures seemed to come alive.
Visiting the Saurashtra coast, it wassuggested that I visit the coral reefs inthe Jamnagar and Mithapur area.These areas, specially the Mithapurregion, I was told, has a very rich andvirgin coral life in the reef area veryclose to the shore and was accessibleat low tides.
When I reached Mithapur I was metwith the heartening news that the nextmorning was a low tide day and thatthe corals will be more than 50 per centexposed.
Mithapur, incidentally, is a smalltown where the Tata Chemicals Ltd(TCL) has its chemical production plant.Tata Chemicals, in association withWildlife Trust of India (WTI), hasundertaken research work and pro-tection of this coral reef that isteeming with marine bio-diversity.
A magnificent world of coralsopened up for Pradeep Chamaria, ashe explored the reef area off thecoast of Saurashtra at low tide
THURSDAY, 16 NOVEMBER 2017
Living on the fringes
SECTION2
A rich haulI was briefed by Satish from TCL that the fringing reef at Mithapur harbourssix different types of hard corals, including brain coral, star coral, mooncoras, plate coral, porities coral and staghorn coral. The place also offered agreat opportunity to observe marine life associated with the live corals. Thetotal area of the reef is about 3 sq km.
As I waded in, I came across the first moon coral, said to be the majorinhabitant of this area. Soon I could see a variety of crabs in different shades,eels, octopus and small coloured fish moving through the maze of coral for-mations. I could even spot a sting ray lying buried in the sandy bottom readyto strike me if I dared to venture near it.
The timid sea hare was resting under a few corals. Satish informed methat it was a very harmless creature and so I tried picking it up. It was a slip-pery lump of flesh and I placed it on an algae formation in the sea bed to cap-ture it on my camera. But it soon bundled out in a small lump of spotted dirtygreen mass andsomehow got mixed with the algae. I had an idea that thiscreature has unique self defence techniques and very soon I saw some kindof bluish violet discharge coming out of the hare. That was when I wasinformed that the sea hare will squirt ink when disturbed to frighten its ene-mies.
A prized possession of this reef is a colony of rare bonellias, which are nor-mally not to be seen living collectively. Unfortunately, while they were visibleto the naked eye, as they were a little deep in the sea water, I was unable tocapture their magnificent colour and texture on my camera. I also spotted awide variety of shells ~ cowries, spires, augers, tusk shell, murex, conch, cock-les, lucids, rock oysters, limpets, snails and top shells to name a few.
SomeofthecoralsfoundatMithapurPorites Coral (Porites compressa)Plate Coral (Montipora sp)Moon Coral (Favia sp)Star Coral (Siderastrea savignayana)Leptoria PhrygiaAstreoora sp
The writer is a freelance photographer
