national institute ofoceanography, india

1969-70

council ofscientific and industrial research

india

ANNUAL REPORT

1969-70

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF OCEANOGRAPHY( Council of Scientific & Industrial Research )

PANAJI, GOA,INDIA

5

participation in the International Indian Ocean Ex-pedition. which led to organized scientific activitiesin the field of ocean research in India and which laidthe foundation to the setting up of the NationalInstitute of Oceanography as one of the NationalLaboratories under the Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research. He spared no pains to securerecognition for this new scientific venture in thecountry. His great zeal and enthusiasm for the'young, fascinating science' as he used to call ocea-nography, was almost infective and his eagerness tosee that oceanography finds its proper place :in thescientific map of India will always be remembered.In official and non-official bodies concerned withdecisions on Indian scientific policy. Dr. Wadia ex-erted his influence to support Indian programmes ofoceanic exploration. This was particularly so inefforts to secure ship facilities with the Navy andother organizations. His dream to have a full-fledg-ed institute established was fulfilled but not thecompletion of the laboratories and an ocean-goingresearch ship. Even a few days before his death, hewas planning a visit to Goa and discuss the futureset-up of the Institute. In his death, India has losta great son and a dedicated scientist but, more thanthat, Indian oceanography has lost its great bene-factor and patron during its formative years.

- N. K. PANIKKAR

OBITUARYDarashaw Noshirwan W'adia, F. R. S., National

Professor of Geology, Geological Adviser to theGovernment of India. Department of Atomic Energy,and Chairman, Indian National Committee on

Oceanic Research and Executive Council of theNational Institute of Oceanography, died on 15thJune, 1969, at the Willingdon Nursing Home, NewDelhi, after a brief illness.

Born on 23rd October. 1883, in Surat, Wadia had his earlyeducation in the place of his birth and later in Baroda. where hetook his degree in Natural Science. Geology attracted him most.But in his days, geology was taught as a special subject only inthe University of Calcutta and Madras and so Wadia had tostudy geology all by himself, thereby becoming a self-taughtgeologist. After graduating from Baroda. he joined the Princeof Wales College, Jammu, in 1907, where he taught geology for14 years. He joined the Geological Survey of India in 1921 andserved that organization till his retirement in 1938. As an officerof the Geological Survey of India, Wadia worked mostly in theKashmir Hazara area of the North-Western Himalayas and hispaper on Syntaxis of the North-Western Himalayan region pub-lished in 1931 is considered as a monumental work and the mostfundamental contribution to our knowledge of Himalayantectonics.

To an active scientific worker like Wadia. the term retire-ment had no meaning and in fact, retirement from service in theyear 1938 marked the beginning of a really active career for him.Since that date, his contributions to the subject of geology andallied branches of knowledge are to be considered most in-valuable. Wadia was successively Government Mineralogist inCeylon, the first Director of the Indian Bureau of Mines.Geological Adviser to the Government of India, Department ofAtomic Energy, a position which he held till his death. In thelatter position, Wadia was the Head of the Atomic MineralsDivision.

Prof. D. N. Wadia (1883-1969)

Wadia held several high and distinguished posi-tions in Indian science, such as President. IndianScience Congress. President of the National Instituteof Sciences of India and President of the Geological,Mining and Metallurgical Society of India. Hepresided over the Twelfth Session of the Interna-tional Geological Congress held in New Delhi inDecember 1964 and was the Leader of the IndianDelegation to the Thirteenth Session of the Interna-tional Geological Congress held in Prague in August-September, 1968. He was also a Member of theBoard of Scientific and Industrial Research and theGoverning Body of the Council of Scientific andIndustrial Research for several years.

A Fellow of the Royal Society, London, Wadiawas also recipient of Back Award of the Royal Geo-graphical Society in 1834 and the Lyall Medal fromthe Geological Society, London, in 1943, all in reco-gnition of his contributions to Indian geology. TheGovernment of India honoured him with the awardof Padma Bhushan in 1958 and in the year 1963, hewas made a National Professor. He has publishedseveral scientific papers in Mineralogy and Struc-tural Geology and was the author of the widely readbook "Geology of India", first published in 1916.

As Chairman of the Indian National Committeeon Oceanic Research, Professor Wadia was indeed,the most effective sustaining force behind the Indian

C O N T E N T S

1. Introduction

2. National Institute of Oceanography, its Divisions and Units

2.1 Indian National Oceanographic Data Centre, Panaji

2.2 Physical Oceanography Division, Panaji

2.3 Geological Oceanography Division, Panaji

2.4 Biological Oceanography Division, Cochin

2.5 Indian Ocean Biological Centre, Cochin

2.6 Biological Oceanography Unit, Panaji

2.7 NIO Field Unit, Bombay

2.8 Cruises conducted during the year

3. Administrative set up

3 1 Executive Council

3.2 Sub-Committees of the Executive Council

3.3 Budget

3.4 Scientific & Technical Staff

4. Library and Documentation

5. Awards. Honours, Membership of various committees

6. Deputations

7. Meetings. Exhibitions. Seminars. Symposia, etc.

8. Colloquia and Special Lectures

9. Distinguished Visitors

10. Publications

10.1 Publications of the Institute

10.2 Papers Published by Staff Members

Prof. J. E. Smith, F. R. S., Chairman. UNESCO Consultative Committee for the IndianOcean Biological Centre. Director, Marine Biological Laboratory, Plymouth, U. K.

and Dr. N. K. Panikkar, Director, National Institute of Oceanography,with the model of the proposed NIO buildings at Panaji, Goa.

1

Introduction

The fifth report of the NationalInstitute of Oceanography gives an accountof the scientific projects carried out in thevarious divisions and units of the Institutealong with a picture of the administrativeset up. facilities, activities and the list ofscientific contributions from the Instituteduring 1969—70.

All the projects under investigationduring the year 1969—70 are briefly dealtwith. The Indian National OceanographicData Centre, besides acquiring, processingand retrieving the data pertaining to theIndian Ocean, also took up the work ofanalysis of the depths of occurrence ofoxygen maxima and minima in the upper500 meters of the North Western IndianOcean and on the phosphate distribution inthe 100 meter column below one squaremeter in the whole of the Arabian Sea.

The Division of Physical Oceanographywhich began to function at the headquartersof the Institute in Panaji took up a few newprojects in the Goa region. Among those,the one on studies relating to the problemsof bar formation at the mouth of theMandovi river deserves special mention.Other new projects highlighted in the reportare: the sediment transport studies at theMopla Bay harbour, Cannanore; oceanogra-phic studies of the Mormugao and theCochin harbours and the physical conditionsof the estuarine environments in the Goaand Kerala regions.

The Geological Oceanography Divisionhas been mostly concerned with projectsstarted during previous year. Studies onsediments of the Vembanad lake in Keralais one of the major projects undertaken bythis Division.

The Division of Biological Oceano-graphy at Cochin extended its programmeof work on the waters around the Laccadiveswhich has brought to light some interestingfindings. A new project on the energeticsof the local flat fish populations of theinshore area of Cochin was also taken up.Experimental studies on the culture of algaeand the influence of environmental factorson the growth of tropical phytoplanktonorganisms have shown interesting results.

In Goa the work on the productivityof Mormugao Bay and the comparativestudies on environmental features of theMandovi and Zuari estuaries along withseasonal abundance of the phytoplanktonand zooplankton formed essential basicstudies to enable further researches onthese estuaries.

The Indian Ocean Biological Centre atCochin is now engaged on the systematic,taxonomic and distributional studies on thevarious groups of planktonic organisms,

from the collection of the InternationalIndian Ocean Expedition. Atlases relatingto the total Plankton Biomass were issuedand draft charts for many other groups areunder active preparation.

The year marked the organization ofthe headquarters of the Institute at Panaji(Goa) and re-organization of variousdivisions and units at the Headquarters.Construction of scientists' hostel, seniorscientists' quarters along with the Director'sbungalow has been started during the year.

N. K. PANIKKARDIRECTOR

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national institute of oceanography,its divisions and units

With the shifting of the Headquarters and the DataDivision of the Institute from New Delhi, and of the PhysicalOceanography Division from Cochin to Panaji, the NationalInstitute of Oceanography was reorganised in the followingmanner:

Divisions & Centres

1. Indian National Oceanographic DataCentre ( Planning and Data Division )NIO, Miramar, Panaji, Goa.

2. Physical Oceanography DivisionNIO, Miramar, Panaji, Goa

3. Geological Oceanography Division,Miramar, Panaji, Goa.

4. Biological Oceanography Division,Karikkamuri Cross Road, Cochin-11.

5. Indian Ocean Biological Centre,P. B. No. 1913,Pullepady Cross Road, Cochin-18.

Field Units

1. Biological Oceanography Unit,NIO, Miramar, Panaji, Goa

2. NIO, Field Unit,169-170 BPT Buildings,Sassoon Docks, Colaba, Bombay-5

3. Physical Oceanography Unit,Karikkamuri Cross Road, Cochin-11

Telephone TelegraphicNumber Address

2923 Oceanologyextn. 2 Panaji

2923 doextn. 2

2923 doextn. 2

31814 GeophysicsCochin

33306 OceanologyCochin

2923 OceanologyPanaji

213597 OceanologyBombay

33538 GeophysicsCochin

4

2.1

indian national

oceanographic data

centre (inodac ), panaji

A. Data Exchange, Preparation of DataCatalogues

B. Oxygen Studies

C. Phosphate Studies

A. Data Exchange, Preparation ofCatalogues

The physical and chemical oceano-graphic data collected during the Inter-national Indian Ocean Expedition periodon board INS KlSTNA for the cruises15-28 have been exchanged with the WorldData Centre 'A' Washington, USA and'B' Moscow, USSR.

Regarding the preparation of the DataCatalogue, the work on the grouping up ofall the available data for the Indian Oceancollected by various ships during the IIOEhas been completed on the monthly basisfor each latitude and longitude grid.

B. Oxygen Studies

The analysis of the depths of occurrenceof oxygen maxima and minima in the northwest Indian Ocean have been completed anda paper entitled "On the Occurrence ofoxygen maxima and minima in the upper500 meters of the northwest Indian Ocean"was presented at the Annual Session of the

Indian Academy of Sciences at Aurangabadin December, 1969 and since then sent forpublication. This study reveals that thereare considerable seasonal and regional vari-ations in the distribution of oxygen in theupper 500 m. in north western IndianOcean. All along the Arabian Coast, theoxygen maxima are observed at about 50 m.depth while along the west coast of India,the waters are found to be more turbidtowards the surface thereby reducing thephotic zone. Thus very often in this area,the oxygen maxima are seen in the surfacelayers. The oxygen maximum is seen indeeper layers towards the open sea, perhapsbecause of the greater transparency of thewaters. During the southwest monsoonseason, the oxygen rich equatorial IndianOcean waters spread towards the northernpart of Arabian Sea. During the northeast monsoon, on the other hand, near sta-gnation condition prevails in the central andnorthern parts of the Arabian Sea and thereis not much change in the oxygen contentof these waters. The sub-surface watersreflect the characteristics of the Red Seaand Persian Gulf waters to some extent.The southern Arabian Sea waters reflect thecharacteristic of the Bay of Bengal andeastern Indian Ocean. Similar work isbeing extended to the northeast IndianOcean viz. Bay of Bengal. Andaman Seaetc. The data for the area are beingcollected.

C. Phosphate Studies

Studies on phosphate distribution inthe 100 meter column below 1 sq. meter inthe whole of Arabian Sea have been madeon the data collected by various ships whichhad participated in the IIOE. During theperiod of the report, the analysis of datacollected by R. V. Vityaz has been complet-ed. The analysis was done in 1 degreesquares. Although the ultimate aim is topool all the data, work out the averages andplot the average value of phosphate concen-tration below 1 square meter, in view of the

fact that the amount of data is very vastand the analysis would take a considerableamount of time it was considered worthwhile to present the data of Vityaz in thisreport. So far, data relating to pre-south-west monsoon (March-May) and postmonsoon (September-November) have beencompleted.

The analysis of Vityaz data has revealedthat during the pre-southwest monsoon(March-May) nearer to west coast of Indiabetween Goa and Bombay the phosphateconcentration in a 100 meter column variesbetween 4.4 and 4.7 mg. per square meter.The range is larger off Somali coast and theGulf of Aden, the extreme values being 3.7and 7.6 mg. In the central part of theArabian Sea the concentrations range be-tween 2.9 and 5.9 mg. A region ofmoderately high phosphate is observed ina transect from Bombay to Socotra (westsouth-west direction from Bombay). Thehighest recorded concentration (20.5 mg.)

has been observed near the equator between55-60°E.

In general, it is found that the concen-tration during the post monsoon months(September-November) are much higher inthe whole of the northern Arabian Sea. Theconcentrations are above 7 mg. nearer thecoast off Gulf of Cambay where values ofthe order 10.8 mg. are seen. Off the ArabianCoast, Gulf of Oman and Pakistan coastvalues range between 10 and 14 mg. whilein the Gulf of Aden the values lie between7 and 11 mg. It is also seen that muchhigher concentrations are found in thecentral part of the Arabian Sea as comparedwith the pre-southwest monsoon months.Along the equator, however, the values aremuch lower than in pre-monsoon months.Higher concentrations during the postmonsoon months appear to indicate thespread of upwelled waters in the ArabianSea having high concentrations of nutrients.Further work along these lines is beingcontinued.

5

2.2

physical

oceanography division

( pod ) , panaji

A. Coastal and Nearshore Oceano-graphic Studies

B. Estuarine Studies

C. Trace Element Distribution Studiesin Shelf Sediments

D. Physical Factors Governing Sedi-ment Transport in Moplah Bay,Cannanore

During the year under report, the Phy-sical Oceanography Division at Goa beganto be organised with a small team of phy-sical oceanographers. The existing projectsin coastal oceanography along the Keralacoast were continued at Ernakulam. whilenew projects in coastal studies were startedalong the Goa coast by the team workingat Headquarters. Some of the projectswhich were started during the year in colla-boration with the other departments are:

i) The sediment transport studies atMoplah Bay harbour, Cannanore,undertaken at the request of theIndo-Norwegian Project. Ernaku-lam.

ii) Studies on the Aguada bar forma-tion undertaken at the request ofGovernment of Goa.

iii) Cochin harbour and Marmugaoharbour studies initiated at the

request of the respective harbourauthorities.

A survey of the Vembanad Lake, inKerala including studies on its bathymetrythe physical and chemical aspects is inprogress.

A. Coastal and Nearshore OceanographicStudies

(a) Beach Studies

(i) Goa Coast

To understand the nature of the beachchanges and the factors and processesresponsible for these changes, studies onthe beach profiles and oceanographic para-meters such as waves, nearshore and littoralcurrents, were undertaken from August1969 at twelve selected stations along threebeaches of Goa, namely Calangute-Candolim. Miramar-Caranzalem and Colva-Banaulim. The details of stations at eachof these beaches and the profiles so fartaken are as follows :

Location No. of No. ofStations Beach

Profilesmeasured

Miramar-Caranzalem 4 52

Calangute-Candolim 5 65

Colva-Banaulim 3 15

On the Miramar-Caranzalem beach,very good building up was noticed followedby removal of material from Caranzalemand Campal sides. The beach material wasfound to be more or less fine grained atCaranzalem and line to medium atMiramar throughout the observation period.Calangute-Candolim beaches experiencederosion from September to Decembermonths and since then build up of materialwas observed. The Colva-Banaulim beachdid not show any major change.

6

(ii) Kerala Coast

The beach profile studies at the sevenselected stations along the coast of Keralawere continued. In all, 132 beach profileswere taken during the year. The loss ofconsiderable amount of material was noticednear Thottapally region. Vertical cuts inthe beach foreshore of the order of threemetres were also recorded. The observedvariations in the beach widths, verticalvariations etc. for the different stations aregiven below :

load was found to be 750 mg. per 5 litersWork is being continued.

(c) Oceanographic Studies at

(i) Marmagao Harbour and

(ii) Cochin Harbour

(i) Marmagao Harbour

Wave refraction diagrams were con-structed for predominant wave direc-tions and periods of waves approa-ching the harbour and the maximumheights of the waves affecting theharbour as well as the littoralmovements in the harbour area wereevaluated from the characteristics ofthe deep water waves obtained from astudy of the data of Indian Daily Wea-ther Reports for 1968 and 1969. Thewave heights in shallow water (20'depthcontour) were computed from the re-fraction diagrams. During the south-west monsoon high waves of 8 secondperiods from WSW were found tooccur in the port area. The heights werefound to be minimum slightly north ofthe harbour breakwater and maximumon the Dona Paula side. (The maxi-mum and minimum values as obtainedfrom these studies are 15.2' and 10.4').The littoral drift was found to be dire-cted into the Bay from either side ofthe harbour.

General hydrographic studies suchas temperature, salinity, oxygen, lightpenetration, suspended sediment load,surface drift etc., of the waters nearthe end of the harbour breakwaterwere made regularly at monthly inter-vals over complete tidal cycles andunder different tidal ranges forabout nine months during the year.Preliminary analysis of the data indi-cated the following features for theharbour waters for the summer months(April and May).

Location

Narakkal

Elankunnapuzha

Saudi

Manassery

Thumboli

Punnapra

Purakkad

7

(b) Studies on the AguadaBar Formation

In order to understand the factors re-sponsible for the formation of Aguada bar,preliminary surveys were made twice in themonth of March 1970. Observations oncurrents were made over complete tidalcycles along with the suspended sedimentload. This study revealed that flood andebb current maxima were 4.1 kts. and 3.5kts. respectively. The suspended sediment

26 45-60 5 0.75

30 60-80 43 1.00

14 40-60 5 0.75

14 20-50 6 1.25

19 70-85 40 1.50

16 35-74 15 2.50

13 0-40 0 2-3

1. The temperature of the surface watersgenerally varied between 30.4°C and31.4°C, the diurnal range being less onthe days of high tidal range as comparedto low tidal range.

2. the surface salinity varied between35.2%o and 37.00%o, the mean valuebeing generally high during high tidalrange as compared to low tidal range.

3. the dissolved oxygen varied from 3.10ml/L. to 4.80 ml/L. The flood watersduring the night time were found tocontain low oxygen as compared to theebb waters during the day time.

ii) Cochin Harbour

Regular observations at fixed stationsnear the Cochin Barmouth were carriedout to study the variation of theconcentration of silt at the surface andsub-surface depths. Simultaneously,current patterns were also observed tostudy the effect of currents and watermovements on the silt content.

(d) Mudbanks of Kerala

The bottom sediments from the Nara-kkal and the Purakkad mudbanks indicatedvery high concentration of phosphates ascompared to the adjoining shelf sediments.The values for the phosphate, iron andcalcium carbonate for the two mudbankregions are given below:

Narakkal PurakkadPhosphate

(micro gms./gm.) 325-2500 700-3400

Iron (milli gms/gm) 62-154 95-115Calcium Carbonate

(percentage by weight) 5-8.4 8-15

The wave refraction studies conductedfor the region Purakkad indicated conver-ging long-shore currents leading to possibleoffshore flows. It is felt that this offshoreflow might be opposing the onshore trans-port of the fine sediments being carried bythe premonsoon waves resulting in localis-ation of sediments at the rip heads. Thishas been put forward as a possible explan-ation for the formation of mudbanks.

B. Studies on the Physical Conditions ofthe Estuarine Waters of the Goa andKerala Regions representing Central andSouthern parts of the West Coast ofIndia

(i) Goa Region

Preliminary studies on the currents,temperature and salinity at different depthsof four selected stations in the Mandovi andZuari rivers and the Cumbarjua Canalconnecting these two rivers, were madeduring November '69 and January andMarch '70 over complete tidal cycles. Inaddition to general hydrographic studies,determination of suspended sediment loadwas also made at a few places during thecourse of the surveys. The preliminaryresults obtained from the observations madeon the currents are as follows :

In the river Zuari, at a station occupiednear Borim bridge in January '70, theobservations indicated that the flood velo-cities at the surface varied from 42 cm/sec,to 70 cm sec. and the ebb velocities from70 cm/sec to 150 cm/sec. The surfacesalinity varied from 17.2%o to 23.5%o. Inthe river Mandovi at a station occupiedthree miles from the entrance in March '70,the studies show that the speed of the floodmaximum is 150 cm/sec and that of the ebb120 cm/sec. In the Cumbarjua Canal, theobservations on current carried out duringNovember '69 and March 1970 under diffe-rent tidal range indicated the predominanceof flood over the ebb on the Mandovi river

8

side of the canal while on the Zuari side ofthe canal the predominance of ebb wasnoticed. On the Mandovi side of the canalthe flood and the ebb maxima for surfacecurrents were 90 cm/sec and 60 cm/secrespectively. On the Zuari side of thecanal the corresponding values for the floodand the ebb were 70 cm/sec and 150 cm/sec.Very little change in the current velocitieswas noticed from the surface to one metreabove the bottom in the canal.

ii) Kerala Region

The observational programme com-menced during the previous year at threestations in the Cochin backwaters wascontinued. Study on the seasonal variationsof the hydrographical parameters of thebackwaters revealed well mixed, stratifiedand partially mixed conditions duringJanuary to August, September to Novemberand December to January respectively.The salinity of the backwaters was found tohave an inverse relation with the fresh waterdischarge from the rivers. Studies on thehydrographic parameters over completetidal cycles, the circulation pattern and thefactors responsible for the siltation in andaround the backwaters and the harbour aswell as the rate of sedimentation are beingcontinued.

C. Trace Element Distribution Studies inShelf Sediments

The estimation of trace elements inthe shelf sediments off the coasts of India

was completed. Boron was estimated inthe clay fraction of the estuarine sedimentsoff Krishna delta. The boron content inthe sediments was found to vary from 66ppm to 130 ppm. The analysis for similarsediment samples from the west coast ofIndia is in progress.

D. Physical Factors Governing SedimentTransport in Moplah Bay, Cannanore

Survey of the Moplah Bay (Cannanore)was taken up in collaboration with theIndo-Norwegian Project in September 1969.The studies included bathymetry, tides andtidal currents and sediment transport, thelast one using fluorescent tracers. Thefollowing were the main findings:

(i) Bathymetric studies revealed accretionin the Moplah Bay harbour region inthree locations, and these are (a) theregion of the harbour immediatelyadjacent to the breakwater, (b) near theseawall in the NW side of the bay and(c) near the rivulet in the northern sideof the harbour.

(ii) Tracer studies revealed net movementof sand into the bay from each of thethree injection points, located (a) out-side the breakwater tip on its westernside, (b) on the seaward side of thebreakwater and (c) between groins onthe NNE corner of the Moplah bayharbour.

9

2.3

geological

oceanography division

( god ) , panaji

A. Geochemical studies on Shelf Sedi-ments off the coasts of India

B. Sediments of the Gulf of Cambayand the Gulf of Kutch

C. Sand Movement Studies

D. Sediments of Vembanad Lake

E. Characteristics of the Beach Materialof Goa

F. Micropalaeontological Studies

A. Geochemical Studies on the Shelf Sedi-ments off the Coasts of India

Two aspects of the west coast shelfsediments namely (i) Distribution pattern ofNickel and (ii) Clay mineralogy, have beenstudied in the shelf and slope sedimentscollected between Bombay and Cochin.The results obtained are given below.

Studies on Nickel distribution: Nickelcontent was estimated in twenty foursamples spread over four sections,namely off Bombay, Karwar, Mangaloreand Cochin. The sections covered werenormal to the coast and the sedimentscollected were from the shelf and sloperegions. The maximum and minimumconcentrations of Nickel obtained ineach of the sections are given below:

Name of the Nickel concentrationSection in ppm

Maximum Minimum

Off Bombay 45 24

Off Karwar 53 19

Off Mangalore 31 16

Off Cochin 38 12

An analysis of the values obtained hasrevealed that the fine grained sedimentsin the inner shelf and the slope sedi-ment contain relatively higher amountof Niekcl than the sediments in theregion in between. Even among thefine-grained sediments, the sedimentsoff Bombay, Karwar and Cochin haverelatively higher concentration of Nickelthan the sediments off Mangalore. Anexamination of the distribution ofNickel with other elements like Man-ganese and Iron shows that there is abetter correlation with Manganese thanwith Iron. The organic content ofsediments and the concentration ofNickel do not appear to be related toeach other unlike in the case of otherconstituents.

Clay Mineral Studies: Clay fractionsseparated from a few of the samplestaken from the different sectionsmentioned above have been subjectedto X-Ray analysis. The analysis hasrevealed that the clay minerals in thesesediments exhibit certain regional vari-ations in that (i) the sediments offBombay and Karwar are characterisedby the presence of predominantly mixedlayers of montmorillonite and illitewith subordinate amounts of kaolinitegroup of minerals, (ii) the sedimentsoff Mangalore by the presence of appro-ximately equal proportions of mixedlayers of montmorillonite and illite and(iii) the sediments off Kerala coasthaving predominantly kaolinite groupof minerals with subordinate amounts

10

of montmorillonite. This regional vari-ation in the clay mineral content mayperhaps be attributed to the differencein the source rocks present along thedifferent parts of the west coast.

B. Studies on the Sediments of the Gulfof Cambay and the Gulf of Kutch

During the 4th, 5th and 6th cruises ofI . N . S . "DARSHAK" about twenty fivesediment samples were collected usinggravity corer. La Fond-Dietz snapper anddredge. The samples collected have beenstudied for their physical characteristics.From the results obtained from thesestudies and from the notations of the bottomgiven in the Admirality Chart No. 2736, asediment distribution map has been pre-pared for the area known as "FIFTYFATHOM FLAT". Broadly, from the coastto the shelf edge four zones of sedimentshave been delineated. They are (i) siltyclays, (ii) oolitics, and (iii) coral fragmentsand sand, and (iv) rock (limestone-beachrock). The occurrence of beach rock inthe outer continental shelf is indicative ofthe fact that the outer continental shelf hasbeen influenced by the Pleistocene lowstands of sea-level. Radiocarbon dating ofa few of the samples collected from thisregion is in progress and perhaps this datamay help in unravelling the evolutionaryhistory of this part of the shelf.

Continuous echo sounding was doneduring the cruises, and 300 miles of echogramwas obtained for topographic studies. Anexamination of the echograms has revealedthat the Fifty Fathom Flat has a very ruggedtopography. A comparison of this echo-gram with one obtained in the vicinity ofAndroth Island, a typical coral atoll, hasshown great similarity between the two.

C. Sand Movement Studies in SelectedAreas (In collaboration with POD)

Sand movement studies have beeninitiated at two places namely (i) Moplah

Bay in Cannanore, and (ii) Mandovi Estu-ary in Goa. In Moplah Bay at Cannanore,the studies are being made in connectionwith the development of a minor harbourwhile at the second place the studies aretaken up in view of the navigational hazardcreated by the formation of a bar at themouth of the estuary.

Studies on the bar formation in Man-dovi estuary were started in February 1970.A preliminary survey was made and sedim-ent samples were collected with a view tounderstand the nature of sediments in theregion. The material collected are beingstudied for their physical characteristics.

D. Studies on the waters and Sediments ofthe Vembanad Lake and the AssociatedRiver Systems (in collaboration withPOD)

Work was started on this project inNovember 1969. Field work was carriedout during November-December '69 and250 bottom sediment samples were collectedfrom different parts of the lake betweenErnakulam and Alleppey. Studies on thedifferent aspects of these sediments havebeen undertaken at the request of theKerala Slate Government.

E. Studies on the seasonal variations in thecharacteristics of the Beach Materialof Goa

As a part of the comprehensive pro-gramme aimed at understanding the shortterm and long term changes taking placein the beaches of Goa. Studies on theseasonal variations in the characteristics ofthe beach material have been taken up inthis division. To start with, Miramar andCalangute beaches have been taken up forstudy. Work on Miramar beach wasstarted in September 1967 while the workon the Calangute beach started in Augest1969. Details of the work done so far aregiven below:

11

Miramar Beach: Six stations at oneKilometer interval were fixed betweenCampal and Caranzalem. Sedimentsamples were collected across the beachat each of these six stations at monthlyintervals. In all 350 samples werecollected and analysed for their grainsize and mineralogy. Granulometricstudies have revealed that the beach canbe divided into two segments: (i) bet-ween Miramar and Gasper Diascomposed of medium of fine sand and(ii) Gasper Dias to Caranzalem com-posed of fine to very fine sand. Thereis no marked change in the size of thebeach material from season to seasonexcept for accumulation of shells duringthe fair weather season. The sedimentsare well sorted and slightly positivelyskewed.

Mineralogically, the sediments arc com-posed of Pyroxenes, amphiboles, epi-dote, tourmaline, zircon, spinel andopaques with minor amounts of rutile,staurolite and biotite.

Calangute Beach: This beach which issituated between two promontoriesnamely Aguada in the south and Baghain the north is about 7.5 kilometerslong. Five stations have been fixedon this beach from north to south and

sediment samples are being collectedacross the beach from these five stationsat fortnightly intervals for the study ofgrain size characteristics, mineralogy,calcium carbonate content and ironcontent. So far nearly seven hundredsamples have been collected of which250 samples have been analysed fortheir grain size and the statistical par-ameters like median diameter, sortingetc., computed. Carbonate content hasbeen determined in 120 samples by theloss in weight method. The studies onthis beach are being done in collabora-tion with the Physical OceanographyDivision.

F. Micropalacontological Studies of theMarine Sediments off the Coasts ofIndia

A study of the distribution and ecologyof the Foraminifera in the shelf sedimentsoff the west coast of India between Bombayand Alleppey has been undertaken. Fora-minifera have been separated from thesamples collected from 33 stations and theiridentification is in progress.

Stratigraphic and micropalaeontologicalstudies of the sediment cores obtained froma few localities in the Arabian Sea havebeen completed.

12

2.4

biological

oceanography

division ( bod ) , cochin

A. Oceanography of the Waters AroundLaccadives

B. Energetics of Local Flat-Fish

C. Studies on the Cochin Backwaters

D. Yield Studies of Fish

E. Environmental Factors andGrowth of Phytoplankton

F. Some Problems ofC14 Measurements

A. Oceanography of the WatersAround Laccadives

Cruises were undertaken on board thepassenger-ship M . V . "Laccadives" toKavaratti and other atolls of the Laccadives.The Oceanographic Studies carried outduring these cruises have brought to lightsome interesting findings which are sum-marised below:

(i) Characteristics of a 'Trichodesmium'Bloom in the Laccadives

In April 1968 a bloom of Tricho-desmium erythraeum occurred in greatprofusion in the Laccadives and largelyoccupied the upper few metres of thewater. The chief characteristics of theenvironment during the bloom were

the minimum nitrate-N and a sparsepopulation of other phytoplankton andzooplankton. The ability of Tricho-desmium to fix molecular Nitrogen pro-vides an important source of nitrogenenrichment which may make a sub-stantial contribution to the nitrogenbudget of tropical seas.

(ii) Primary Production of anAtoll in Laccadives

In the midst of oceanic conditions,Kavaratti Atoll with a ring-shaped coralreef and a rich growth of attachedalgae and macrophytes in its shallowlagoon, constitutes a highly productiveenvironment. The transparency ofwater near the coral reef is fairly highand the phytoplankton production inthe surrounding sea is low. The lagoonseems to sustain a higher standingcrop of phytoplankton than does theadjacent sea.

Estimates of gross production andcommunity respiration made fromdiurnal changes in oxygen at two sta-tions in the lagoon and from oxygenchanges in water during its transportover the reef, showed that lagoon andreef communities are both autotrophic.Experiments conducted on the oxygenexchange of several species of plantsand corals confirmed that their rates ofphotosynthesis for 12 hours were greaterthan their rates of respiration for 24hours. The conclusion that Kavarattiis among the most productive environ-ments was drawn by a comparison ofestimates made at Kavaratti with thoseof other marine areas.

The highly variable nature of zoo-plankton abundance in the surroundingsea and in the lagoon makes it appa-rent that in some seasons oceanic sourceof nutrition to corals in the form ofzooplankton may be important, but

13

zooplankton alone cannot meet thetotal energy needed by the reef com-munity.

(iii) Production of Particulate OrganicMatter by the Reef on Kavaratti Atoll(Laccadives)

The concentration of particulate organiccarbon in the vicinity of KavarattiAtoll is much greater than that of thesurrounding sea. The particulate org-anic matter, which is largely producedby the coral reef, amounts to about 20%of the total gross production of the reefcommunity. In the absence of anadequate standing crop of phytoplan-kton, it is possible that paniculatematter may form an important sourceof energy to zooplankton in coral reefwaters.

(iv) Primary Production of a Sea-grass-bedon Kavaratti Atoll (Laccadives)

Along the intertidal zone of KavarattiLagoon, a sea-grass-bed, largely con-sisting of Thalassia and Cymodocea,grows on a substratum of loose coralsand and coral debris. Primary pro-duction of this grass bed was estimatedfrom a study of diurnal changes indissolved oxygen over the bed andconducting experiments on some isola-ted plants determining their rates ofoxygen production and consumption.Both these studies showed that photo-synthesis of the community during thehours of daylight is greater than itsrespiration during day and night. Thepresence of this autotrophic plant com-munity near the reef seems to be usefulfor it offers protection to animalsand is consumed by the herbivorousanimals of the reef.

B. Investigations on the Energetics of LocalFlat-fish Populations Occurring onBeaches and in Near-shore Areas

a. Respiratory Measurement

i) Standard Oxygen Consumption

Laboratory experiments were conduc-ted on the oxygen consumption offlat-fishes using a closed circuit respi-rometer (Beckmann). Results of oxygenconsumption were analysed accordingto widely accepted relationship.

Q = a W b

Where Q is the oxygen consumption inmg/h, W is the live weight of fish anda and b are the two constants to bedetermined. The mean 'a' and 'b 'values for four species of Cynoglossuswere: a = 0.3722 and b = 0.7342.

ii) Standard Oxygen Consumption inRelation to Temperature

Cynoglossus could tolerate a tempera-ture range of 15.0 to 37.5°C. In therange 30 to 37.5°C, the standard oxygenconsumption was temperature-indepen-dent, and did not change in this range.Below 30°C, oxygen consumption wastemperature-dependent, being almostlinear on a longarithmic scale, with aQ10 = 2.4.

iii) Active Oxygen Consumption

Cynoglossus is provided with excep-tional adhesive powers on flat surfaces,and therefore, it is difficult to force thefish to swim in a current or water.But in a few cases where it did swim,values of about 100% increase in oxy-gen consumption, over standard, wereobserved at 28°C (room temperature).

14

C. Studies on the Cochin Backwaters

Continuous collections of detritus byan apparatus made locally, were made fromthe Cochin backwater throughout the year.The collected material was centrifuged,washed, dried and weighed. This gave anindex of the rate of sedimentation of thesuspended material in the estuary. Thedetritus was further analysed for totalphosphorus, organic carbon, protein, car-bohydrates and lipids. From this analysisit become clear that the organic detritusforms a large proportion of the suspendedmaterial and plays an important role inthe food chain of the estuary. Many filterfeeders and omnivores in the estuary aredependent upon detritus for food. Thecalorific value of detritus calculated fromprotein carbohydrate and lipid fractionswas found to be fairly high, indicating thatdetritus can form an imporant source ofenergy to animals

15

ν) Experimental Feeding

After trials with different sorts of deadand live foods, tubiculous polychaeteswere used after their removal from thetubes. There appeared to be directrelationship between increase or decre-ase of body weight to the food actuallyconsumed by the fish over a period ofa week. The food intake was expressedin terms of percentage of the bodyweight and maintenance level of foodintake was shown to be of the order of25% of body weight.

vi) Day-Night Experiment on Feeding

Rates

In the inshore area, 30-minutes haulswere taken by a beam trawl to cover the24-hour period. Analysis of the wetweight of the stomach contents inrelation to the wet weight of the fishwere used to investigate any diurnalrhythm in feeding and to gain someinformation on the average quantitiesof food taken. The quantity of foodconsumed was found to be muchgreater at night than during the daytime. Thus it seems that feeding islargely controlled by chemical ormechanical stimuli rather than thevisual ones.

The scope for activity was thus low ascompared to flatfish from the temperateregion where increases of 4 or 5 timesin the oxygen consumption have beenreported to occur.

iv) Experimental Starvation

Individuals of all flatfish were keptwithout food at 27-29°C and weighedunder anaesthetic at intervals of aboutone week to measure their loss inweight.The present loss in wet weight in a totalof 43 individuals were of 12 to 2% perweek.

D. Yield Studies on Fish

Work on fish population models andyield studies were continued during theperiod under review. The concept ofeumetric fishing developed by Beverton andHolt was once again re-examined using thetable of yield functions given by theseauthors. This was done to facilitate a betterunderstanding of some of the eumetric fish-ing/yield curves and the changes in thecatch-per-unit-effort with increased fishingpressure. An attempt was also made foran easier estimation of the conditions ofoptimum exploitation. These methods couldbe applied when growth in weight was allo-metric or when the natural mortalityvaried with age. Some of the commonmethods of interpolation have also beensuggested for evaluating the fishing levelsfor which a given mesh size maximisesthe catch-per-unit-effort or for finding thechanges in the fishing intensity needed tobring the yield and catch-per-unit-effort toany desired level.

The suitability of the Beverton-Holtmodel and the Schaefer model for makingyield assessments with a view to maximisingthe profit has also been examined togetherwith the usefulness and drawbacks of the twomodels. Although the profit maximisationdepends on both biological and economicconditions, regulatory measures based oneumetric value-cost curves are not expectedto be very far from the maximum profitlevel. Very often, due to the limitations inthe data one is forced to rely upon theeumetrie fishing/yield curves alone.

E. The Influence of some EnvironmentalFactors on the growth of TropicalPhytoplankton Organisms

Unialgal cultures of 12 phytoplanktonorganisms, isolated from a typically marineenvironment (inshore waters off Cochin),were grown in an enriched seawater medium(Erdschriber). These clones were keptat room temperature and were allowedto grow under fluorescent illumination.When the cultures become sufficiently dense,the effects of three environmental factors(a) salinity, (b) light, and (c) nutrientswere investigated on their rates of photo-synthesis.

(a) Salinity: The cultures were ex-posed to a salinity range 5 to 35%o andtheir rates of photosynthesis at each salinitywas measured by the C 1 4 method. Differentorganisms showed a wide adaptability tochanges in salinity and in almost allorganisms a maximum photosynthesis wasobtained at a salinity range 10-25%o . Eco-logical observations on their distributionswere also made in the Cochin backwaterduring a period when typically brackishwater occupied the top-most layers and thesalinity was low. Maximum abundancecorresponded with their salinity requirementsstudied in the laboratory. In conclusion,it may be said that maximum phytoplanktonabundance in the shelf waters of theArabian Sea, as is commonly seen during

the monsoon period, is due to the fact thattheir photosynthetic maximum is adjustedto low salinity.

(b) Light: Photosynthetic rates ofseveral species of phytoplankton organismswere investigated at different wave-lengthsof light, by using sharp cut-off filtersobtained from Corning Glass Works, NewYork, U. S. A. In most of the species,maximum light saturated photosynthesiswas obtained at 430 to 455 mμ and mini-mum between 600-650mμ. When thesedata were plotted against the amount ofenergy transmitted through these filters, thecurves obtained in different species weresimilar to that of a typical photosyntheticcurve in sunlight. These results indicatethe photosynthesis, in some organisms atleast, is directly related to the amount ofenergy transmitted through them at a parti-cular wave length.

(c) Nutrients: The effects of chang-ing concentrations of two nutrients, phos-phate-P and nitrate-N were investigated onthe rates of photosynthesis of Ceratium andBiddulphia. The range in phosphorus andnitrogen concentrations was from 0.5 to 10μg at/1. The experiments with Ceratiumlasted 12 days and with Biddulphia 30 days.The phosphorus requirement of Ceratiumwas found to be above 2-5 μg—at/1. Therate of photosynthesis at these concentra-tions increased continuously throughout theexperiment. Concentrations higher than5.0 μg-at/l accelerated photosynthesis for9 days, followed by a sharp decline there-after. The nitrogen requirement of Ceratiumwas found to be about 0.5/μg-at/l. Con-centrations of nitrogen higher than 0.5/μg-at/1 brought about a decrease in photosyn-thesis. Similar results were obtained whennitrogen was used in conjunction withphosphorus.

In the other series of experiments withBiddulphia entirely different results wereobtained. While the phosphorus requirement

16

of this organisms for maximum photosyn-thesis was about the same as in Ceratiumi. e. 5/μg-at/l, its nitrogen requirement wasmuch greater and maximum photosynthesiswas obtained when nitrate-N was increasedto 5.0/μg-at/1. When these two nutrientswere used in combination, maximum photo-synthesis continued to occur at all concentr-ations from 1 to 10 μg-at/l. Peak values,however, were obtained on the 8th daywhich was followed by a progressive declinethereafter.

F. Some Problems Related to theMeasurement of Primary Productionby using C14 Technique

The SCOR/IBP Working Group-24 on"The estimation of primary production underspecial conditions", during its meeting heldin Southampton, in U. K. July/August, 1968and in its report submitted to the SCOR(Ref: Proceedings SCOR, Vol. 5 No. 1,1969)entrusted the Biological Oceanography

Division of the National Institute of Ocea-nography, the following work related toC14 methodology. This was considered animportant investigation as the informationavailable in the literature on these aspectsare neither enough nor accurate:

a) Size of bottles used for C14 incubationsduring experiments.

b) Effects of different proportions of inertmaterial on the self-absorptian of C 1 4 .

c) Amount of material to be filtered toavoid appreciable self-absorption andto give a satisfactory filtering time.

d) Chemical oxidation by using organicpollutants in the light and dark bottlesduring the C 1 4 incubations.

A series of experiments were carriedout to resolve some of these problems.The results obtained in these studies are inthe process of compilation and analysis.

17

2.5

Indian ocean

biological centre ( iobc),

cochin

A. Sorting and Subsorting of theInternational Collections

i. Amphipodaii. Copepoda

iii. Fish-eggs and Larvae

B. Specialised Studies of theIIOE Collections

I. Anthozoan LarvaeII. Pelagic PolychaetesIII. ChaetognathaIV. AmphipodaV. OstracodaVI. Copepoda

VII. HeteropodaVIII. Fish-eggs and Larvae

(Heterosomata)IX. Atlas PreparationsX. Medusae (Local Collections)

C. Zooplankton Fixation and Preserva-tion, SCOR-UNESCO Working Group23 Programme

A. Sorting and Sub-sorting of the Inter-national Collections

(i) Amphipoda

Dr. H. E. Gruner, Chief Specialist forAmhipods was at IOBC during October-

November 1968 and together with Dr. T. B.Bowman and Shri K. K. C. Nair, prepareda scheme for subsorting the Amphipodsof the International Collections. Dr.Gruner's report was approved by the 7thMeeting of the Consultative Committee.

Subsorting of the group was started byShri K. K. C. Nair in August 1968 andsubsequently Shri P. G. Jacob joined himand together they have completed 1200 subsamples. This leaves behind approximately2000 sub samples to be completed. At thepresent rate of subsorting it is expectedthat the job would be completed withina year.

Allocations and Consignment

To speed up the subsorting, it wasdecided to divide the Amphipoda into thefollowing 12 groups which with a littleexperience could be separated easily.

1. Gammaridea

2. Lanceolidae

3. Scinidae

4. Vibiliidae

5. Phronimidae

6. Paraphronimidae

7. Hyperiidae

8. Anchylomeridae

9. Lycaeopsidae

10. Pronoidae & Lycaeidae

11. Oxycephalidae

12. Thyropodidae & Platyscelidae

The subsorted material was allotedto the following specialists.

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19

Dr. T. E. Bowman, Washington — Hyperiidae

Dr. H. E. Gruner, Berlin — Thyropodidae, Platyscelidae

Mr. K. K. C. Nair, IOBC, Cochin — Vibiliidae, Paraphronimidae, Phronimidae,

Anchylomeridae, OxycephalidaeDr. S. T. Shih, Ottowa — Lycaeopsidae, Pronoidae, Lycaeidae

Dr. M. E. Vinogradov, Moscow — Gammaridae, Lanceolidae, Scinidae

1) Fleminger : Labidocera, Pontellina, Centropagidae (Oceanic)

Grice : Candaciidae

Haq : Temoridae, Calanopia

Matthews : Undinula, Augaptilidae (excepting Haloptilus)

Minoda : Lucicutia

Park : Heterorhabdidae

Pillai : Pontella, Pontellopsis

Tanaka : Euchaetidae

Vervoort : Aetidiidae, Phaennidae

2) Krishnaswamy : Sapphirinidae and Copilia

The following are IOBC Staff working on IIOE Meterial

Kasturirangan : Harpacticoida

Goswami : Oithona

Rosamma & Sarla Devi : Haloptilus

Saramma Abraham : Acartia, Centropagidae (nearshore)

Saraswathy : Gaussia, Pleuromamma, Siphonostomes (as approvedby Senior Specialist)

(ii) Copepoda

Subsorting procedures for Copepodswere formulated in May 1968 and the workof subsorting commenced soon after. Sam-ples for subsorting were selected from the1548 standard collections, in such a way soas to give seasonal and geographical cover-age, and in this way 1050 representativesamples were selected for studies. Twohundred samples have already been subsortedby now; work has been speeded up recentlyby varying the size of the sub-sample

according to to the numerical abundance ofCopepods in the sample. During the firstphase of the work, one sample from each fivedegree square was taken to ensure uniformgeographical coverage. The sub-sorting ofthe total of 1050 selected stations would becompleted in the next three years.

Allocations and Consignments

Material has been despatched to thefollowing specialists who have agreed toundertake the related work of the subsortingof the material.

(iii) Fish Eggs and Larvae

When the IIOE plankton samples weresorted at the IOBC, a large number of fisheggs and larvae were separated. Even asearly as 1965 it was suggested by Dr. Hansenthat further subsorting of the group may betaken up without any delay and this taskwas assigned to K. J. Peter. A scheme forthe subsorting of fish larvae was prepared andwork was started. Later this was presentedto the Consultative Committee in 1967 andwas approved. Certain minor modificationswere made afterwards in consultation withProf. T. S. Rass, Chief specialist for fisheggs and larvae. As more and more fishlarvae fraction became available out of theregular sorting, three additional staff mem-bers also devoted part of their time to thesubsorting of fish larvae. At present thefollowing people are engaged in the sub-sorting programme.

K. J. PeterC. B. Lalithambika DeviV. SanthakumariS. V. M. Abdul Rahim

The fish larvae have been sub-sortedinto 55 groups mainly upto the family level.Out of the 1927 IIOE samples collected,1685 have been subsorted. The remaining242 samples are expected to be completedwithin three months. The data processingof the sub-sorted groups has been carriedout simultaneously and logged under aseparate scheme mentioned above.

Allocation and Consignment

In response to the letter from theChief Specialist and the UNESCO Curatorregarding the allocation of various groupsof fish larvae, the following expressed theirwillingness to start the work immediatelyand the material was despatched to them.

Castle — Anguilliformes

Jones — Scomberomoridae, Thunnidae Holocentridae

and Dactylopteridae

Silas — Synodontidae and Bregmacerotidae

Peter — Clupeidae, Engraulidae and Scombridae

Lalithambika Devi — Pleuronectiformes.

The material alloted to the following specialists are almost ready for despatch.These will be sent as the subsorting is completed.

Rass —

Bertelsen —

Bapat —

Ostroumova —Novikova —Gorbunova Belianina —

Kovalevskia —Mukhacheva —Rofen —Ueyanagi —

Argentinoidei

CeratioideiCarangidaeMyctophidaeStomiatoideiGempylidaeBeloniformesCoryphaenidae

Paralepididae

Xiphiidae and Histiophoridae

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Visitors at the proposed site for the NIO buildings, Panaji, Goa.

B. Specialised Studies of the IIOECollections

(i) Anthozoan Larvae

The pelagic anthozoan larvae of theIIOE collections were sorted out asone taxon and this was taken for specialstudies, with reference to their systema-tics, distribution and abundance. Theentire taxon belonged to one subclassZoantharia. 1560 samples have beensubsorted to three different ordersnamely Actiniaria, Zoanthidea andCeriantharia, Ceriantharians were fur-ther subsorted to 3 families viz., Acon-tioidiferidae, Botrucnidiferidae and Cer-ianthidae based on the presence of eitherAcontia or Botrucnids or absence ofboth respectively. Ceriantharia of theabove 3 families were further classifiedinto 31 genera and 80 species, based onthe internal anatomy by sectioning.

Semper's larvae of Zoanthidea wereclassified into two groups of long andround type viz., Zoanthella and Zoan-thina respectively. Actiniarian classi-fication was based on the number ofsarcosepta present.

Camera Lucida sketches of these larvaeand their sections are being drawn fordescription. The identification uptothe species level is to be confirmed bythe senior specialist. The classificationfollowed is that of Carlgren (1924) andLeloup (1964).

Though holoplanktonic forms belong-ing to the families Minyadidae, Metri-diidae, Sagartiidae and Actiniidae arereported to occur in plankton collect-ion, these 1560 samples consist only ofmeroplanktonic forms. Though in gen-eral meroplanktonic forms are neriticin occurrence, a fair proportion of oce-anic forms also have been collected.

21

Anthozoan larvae collected from localcollections are being reared in thelaboratory and observations are beingmade on the reproduction by pedallaceration.

(ii) Pelagic Polychaetes

The pelagic polychaetes of the IIOECollections were sorted out into twomajor groups during general sorting."Tomopterids" and '"other polych-aetes", which belong to families ofpelagic polychaetes other than Tomop-terids. Out of these, the latter groupwas taken up for special study sincethe general sorting was over. Nowabout 1200 samples have been subsort-ed to the different species belongingmainly to four families. Alciopidae,Typhloscolecidae, Phyllodocidae andAphroditidae. Alciopids and Typhlos-colecids are all purely pelagic whilePhyllodocids include only one subfamilyof holopelagic species: there are only afew species of holopelagic froms underAphroditidae, the others that are foundin the collections under this family areonly larval or post larval stages ofbenthonic groups.

So far 29 species of pelagic polychaeteshave been found to occur in the IIOEsamples. All these have been sketchedunder camera lucida and described.Out of the 29 species, 3 are new anda few have been recorded for the firsttime from Indian waters.

The larval polychaetes preservedseparately, have not been taken so farfor detailed study. For identificationof the species, "the key for identifi-cations" (Dales, 1957) was mainly used.The keys for identification by Tebble(1962) and Stop-Bowitz (1948) werealso used from time to time. All theidentifications made so far up to species

level, have been confirmed by Dr.R. Philip Dales, the senior specialist ofthis group.

(iii) Chaetognatha

Plankton samples collected during theInternational Indian Ocean Expeditionfrom the Arabian Sea area north of10°S were analysed. Chaetognathsfrom 614 standard samples were identi-fied upto species level. Each specieswas again subsorted into five maturitystages taking into consideration thegrowth of the testis and the ovary.Ninteen species belonging to fourgenera were encountered in these coll-ections. The species were Eukrohniafowleri, Krohnitta pacifica, Krohnittasubtilis, Pterosagitta drace, Sagitta be-doti, Sagitta bipunctata, Sagitta bombay-ensis, Sagitta decipiens, Sagitta enflata,Sagitta ferox, Sagitta hexaptera, Sagittalyra, Sagitta minima, Sagitta neglecta,Sagitta pacifica, Sagitta pulchera, Sagittaregularis, Sagitta robusta and Sagittazetesios.

S. enflata, S. pacifica, S. bedoti andP. draco were the commonest forms inthese waters. As these samples arefrom 200-Om depth, mesoplanktonicchaetognaths do not comprise a signi-ficant part of the material. E fowleriand S. decipiens alone are the deepwater species in the present collections.

Charts on the distribution of chaetog-naths for whole of the Indian Oceanwere prepared based on the numericaldata available at the Indian OceanBiological Centre.

Total Distribution

Maximum abundance was observed offthe Somali Coast, near the southerncoast of Arabia and the southern partof the Nicobar Islands. The western

22

part of the Arabian Sea and the Bay ofBengal, showed uniformly high densityof population. There was gradual dec-rease in numerical representation ofchaetognaths from the north to thesouthern part of the Indian Ocean.

Seasonal Distribution

The period of mid-April to mid-Oct-ocbr (southwest monsoon period) show-ed a comparatively higher density ofchaetognaths. Maximum density wasobserved off Somali coast and nearNicobar Islands. During mid-Octoberto mid-April (north east monsoonperiod) maximum population was nearthe southern coast of Arabia

Day and Night Variations

There was no significant difference bet-ween day and night collections exceptthat the lower density areas extendedfurther north in the night collections.In both the day and night charts therewas uniform abundance on the Somalicoast, southern Arabian coast and Bayof Bengal.

(iv) Amphipoda

The Amphipods of the IIOE were sortedout during the general sorting and sub-sorting of the group was started byShri K. K. Chandrasekharan Nair to-wards the end of June 1968. In con-sultation with the chief specialist of thegroup, Dr. H. E. Grunner it was deci-ded to subsort the groups under themajor heads, viz. suborder: Gammar-oidea and suborder Hyperiidea whichare represented by the families. Hyper-iidae, Oxycephalidae, Vibiliidae, Parap-hronimidae, Phronimidae, Anchylomeri-dae, Platysclidae, Thyropodidae, Pronoi-dae, Lycaeidae, Lycaeopsidae andScindae. So far 1200 samples havebeen subsorted.

Out of the families mentioned above,five families viz. Oxycephalidae, Vibi-liidae, Paraphornimidae, Phronimidae,Anchylomeridae, which were alloted toShri Chandrasekharan Nair have beentaken for special studies. Collectionsfrom 68 stations have already beenexamined and identified up to specieslevel.

The species identified so far are listed below:

Family: Oxycephalidae

Species- Oxycephalus clausiOxycephalus piscatorOxycephalus latirostrisLeptocotis tenuirostrisStreetsia challengeriSymorphynchotus antennariusRhabdosoma whiteniRhabdosoma armatumRhabdosoma minor

Family Phronimidae

Species- Phronima sedentariaPhronima stebbingiPhronima colletteePhronima atlanticaPhronima pacifica

Family : Anchylomeridae

Species- Phrosina semilunataAnchylomero blosso villiPrimno macropa

Family VibillidaeSpecies- Vibilia vivatrix

Vibilia stebbingiVibilia pyripusVibilia armatumVibilia robusta

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Family ParaphronimidaeSpecies- Paraphonima

gracilisParaphronima

crassipes

Besides the adult forms juvenile stageshave also been recorded. Since littleattempt has been made to study theearly stages of Hyperiids in the past,much difficulty in identifying thejuvenile stages was felt especially inthe case of forms belonging to thefamily Vibillidae and Phronimidae.

(v) Ostracoda

Since the ostracods are very abundant

Species observed in the Arabian Sea samples

in most of the IIOE samples and sinceit would take some time to completethe entire Indian Ocean collections,the samples from the Arabian Sea wereseparated from the collections and sub-sorted. All species were preservedseparately after careful examination.

Charts showing the distribution of theostracods with day and night andseasonal variation were also prepared.

Bathyconchoecia lacunosa (Muller)

B. deeveyae Kronicker

Archiconchoecia striata Muller

A. ventricosa Muller

Halocypria brivirostris (Dana)

Halocypria globosa (Dana)

Conchoecia oblonga (Claus)

C. echinata Muller

C. discophora Muller

C. procera Muller

C. elegens Sars

C. decipiens Muller

C. acuminata (Claus)

(vi) Copepoda

Genus: Haloptilus

Studies on the copepod genus Halop-tilus collected during the IIOE havebeen undertaken. 160 samples wereanalysed for species studies. Thefollowing species were indentified

Haloptilus longicornis

H. spinciceps H. Oxycephalus

H. oranakis H. longicepsH. validus H. mucronatusH. acutifrons H. plumosus

C. parthenoda Muller

C. skogsbergi I les

C. curta Lubbock

C. striola Muller

C. atlantica Lubbock

C. magna Claus

C. porrecta Claus

C. spinirostris Claus

C. imbricata Muller

C. prosadene Muller

C. alata Muller

C. concentrica Muller

H. longicornis and H. spiniceps are thedominat species in the samples exa-mined. H. longiceps which wasrecorded (single female specimen) fromSagami Bay of the Pacific Coast ofMiddle Japan was obtained from anumber of stations in the Indian Ocean.

Genus Gaussia and other Copepods

Copepods belonging to the genusGaussia had been separted during thebasic sorting of Zooplankton at theIOBC. This interesting bathypelagicgenus is monospecific and the singlespecies G. princeps has been obtained

24

from 18 localities in the Indian Ocean.Adult males, females, and copepodites5, 4 and 3 were obtained from thecollections. An interesting point noticedabout the presence of this species inthe water column from the upper 200meters, is that all the stations arelocated towards the north of the equator.(Northern Hemisphere)

Analysis of Copepod samples so farcompleted showed presence of sixspecies of Pleuromamma, viz. P. xiphiasP. quadrungulata, P. abdominalis, P.gracilis, P. indica and P. piseki.

Scattered incidences of a fauna ofSphenostoma (Copepoda-Cyclopoida)has been brought to light. Siphonosto-mous copepods are very rare in theplankton, represented by only a fewgenera. Representatives of the twogenera Ratania and Pontoeciella havebeen identified from the IIOE collec-tions.

Studies on Acartiidae

The family Acartiiade comprises nearly60 species of planktonic forms most ofwhich are neritic and abundant in in-shore waters of the Indian Ocean.

Only three species, namely Acartiadanae, Acartia negligens and Acartiaamboinensis were found to occur intypically marine region. Of these A.amboinensis was found only near theLaccadive Islands and the other two inthe open ocean.

Eleven species of the family Acartiiade,nine species of the genus Acartiaand two species of the genus Acartiellawere recorded from the Cochin Back-waters during the present study. Ofthese, one was new and the other wasa new record for the west coast ofIndia.

Seasonal variation in the distribution ofspecies and in the size of the specimenswere observed. Mostly larger speci-mens were obtained during the premon-soon period. No single species of thisfamily was found to dominate through-out the year and in no part of the yearwere all the species found to occur.The maximum number of species waspresent from March to June. In certainmonths the family Acartiidae was rep-resented in the collections by only onespecies, for example, Acartiella gravelyiin September and Acartia plumosa inOctober and November.

Certain species preferred a specific rangeof salinity A. bilobata, A. centrura, A.erythraea, and A. spinicauda wereabsent during the monsoon monthswhile Acartiella keralensis occurredabundantly in June and July.

Salinity gradient appears to have aremarkable effect on certain species inthe fact that they show variations inprimary and secondary morphologicalcharacters from their counterparts inmarine area.

(vii) Heteropoda

Identifications of gelatinous heteropodsis almost complete. The gelatinousheteropoda include two families: Carin-ariidae and Pterrotracheidae. Carin-ariidae includes 3 genera: Carinaria,Pterosoma and Cardiapoda. Pterotrac-heidae includes two genera, namelyPterotrachea and Firoloida.

Detailed study of the following speciesis in progress.

Carinaria lamarcki Cardiapodarichardi

Carinaria cithara Pterotracheacoronata

Carinaria gales Pterotracheahippacompus

25

Carinaria cristata Pterotrachea

sultataPterosoma Planum Pterotrachea

minutaCardiapoda placenta Firoloida

desmaresti

The distribution charts prepared for thegroups Heteropoda and Cephalopodaare ready for publication.

(viii) Fish Eggs & Larvae (Heterosomata)

Although the distribution of the adultflat-fishes has been described in detail,very little has been published on thelarvae. The larvae of Heterosomatawere subsorted from the sorted fishlarvae of the IIOE collections for detai-led study of the group. The meristiccharacteristics of the flat-fish larvaewere compared with those of the adultsfor considering the specific status ofthe individual specimens. The workof J. R. Norman (1928 and 1934) wasmainly consulted for comparison.Projection drawings were made toelucidate specific characteristics. Adultspecimens were collected as far as possi-ble and comparison was made with thealizarin preparations of larvae. Studieson the development and distribution ofthe larvae were also done. Most ofthe larvae available in Indian Oceanwere studied in detail as they are stillundescribed. The following speciescontained in 8Sl samples of the 1109collections have been provisionallyidentified.

Pseudorhombus elevatus, Ogilby: Arno-glossus tapeinosoma (Bleeker): A. aspilos(Bleeker): A. elongatus Weber: A. inter-medius (Bleeker): Engyprosopon cocose-nsis (Bleeker): Bothus mancus (Brouss-onet); B. panterinus (Ruppell) andCynoglossus brevirostris Day.

To identify the eggs and larvae satis-factorily to the species level, it is desi-rable to rear the eggs and larvae up toa stage until the specific characters areapparent in the larval forms. Thiswill also help to link the differentstages of larvae occurring in the plank-ton. In view of this, weekly planktoncollections were made from the CochinHarbour area after dusk and the eggswere sorted out and reared in thelaboratory.

(ix) Atlas Preparation

The IOBC has published last year twofascicles of maps showing the distribut-ion of biomass in the Indian Ocean.A set of ten maps showing the distri-bution of fish eggs and larvae is underpublication and will be released in April1970. A further set of 11 maps showingthe distribution of Copepods andDecapod larvae is in the press and isexpected to be ready for releaseby the end of July, 1970. Adetailed report on the significance ofthese maps is under preparation. Be-sides, about 120 charts showing thedistribution of principal zooplanktongroups in the Indian ocean are readyfor publication.

(x) Medusae (Local Collections)

While a vast amount of informationhas accumulated in the past on thetaxonomy of the medusae, very little isknown about their ecology in Indianwaters. Hence a detailed study of theseorganisms has been undertaken fromthe ecological point of view.

Medusae were sorted out from the localplankton collections and were identi-fied up to species level under theguidance of Dr. Vannucci, Specialistof this group. The development stagesand sexes were noted.

26

So far thirtythree species listed belowwere identified of which Eutima comm-ensalis is a new species. The speciesare the follwing.

Euphysore abaxialis, Zanclea costata.Podocoryne carnea, Ectopleura sp.,Halocordyle disticha, Cytaeis tetrastyla.Bougainvillia fulva, Pandea rubra, Tiar-opsidium japonicum, Obelia spp., Phiali-dium brunescens, P. rangorae, P. hemi-sphericum, Blackfordis virginica, Euch-eilota menoni, Phialucium carolinae P.taeniogonia, Eirene ceylonensis, E.menoni, Eutima hartlaubi, E. browne,E. neucaledonia, E. japonica, E. comm-ensalis, Acquorea acquorea, A. conica,A. macrodactyla, Aglaura hemistoma,Aglantha elata, Liriope tetraphylla,Geryonia proboscidectylis, Cunina pere-grine, and Solmundella bitentaculata.

A few of them are new records to theIndian waters. All the developmentalstages of Eutima commensalis weregathered from the plankton and so itwas possible to describe the life cycleof the species in full.

C. Zooplankton Fixation and PreservationSCOR-UNESCO Working Group 23Programme

Experimental investigations on fixationand preservation of zooplankton sampleswere carried out at IOBC for working outa corrective procedure for the deteriorationnoticed. The past experience has shownthat one particular preservative was not aptto preserve all groups of organisms.

The observational part includes twoaspects - one of the qualitative and other ofquantitative. The quantitative aspect in-cludes transfer of specimens into differenttypes of preservatives and measuring shrink-age due to weight and volume loss or gain.

The other aspect is concerned with thequalitative observation of stuctures of taxo-nomic value of the organisms. Quality offixation and preservation is observed bynoting the morphological features.

The fixation series include (1) use ofvolatile ethanol and isopropanol in additionto formaldehyde at varying strengths asfixatives of plankton. (2) use of differentbuffers - Na2 B4 O 7 , Hexamethylene tetra-amine, NaHCO3 CaCO3. Tris HCl. Potass-ium Sodium tartrate, NaOH, CH3OH atvarying strength during fixation and use ofsodium acetate and sodium ascorbate forcolour retention, (3) effect of temperaturein the formation of gas bubbles in organismsand (4) time factor for microbial invasionduring fixation.

Preservation series include use ofPhenoxetol, Ethylene glycol and formalde-hyde in various strengths in combinationwith various buffers as preservatives. Thepoints under investigation are (1) the rela-ation between pH and solubility of shellsof planktonic organisms (2) pH and percent loss in weight, and volume of organisms(3) histochemical reaction of preservativeswith animal protein (4) effect of light andtemperature on pigment loss, etc.

Formaldehyde acetate and formalde-hyde ascorbate fixatives are found betterthan formaldehyde alone in preserving thepigments of organisms. Addition of acetateand ascorbate helps in maintaining anoptimum pH. The time factor formicrobial invasion is found directlyproportinal to the delay caused beforefixation. In order to avoid formation ofgas bubbles in organisms, during fixation,use of cold water is being tested. Theresults are quite satisfactory especially inthe case of Saphirinids.

The UNESCO programme includes 22series of experiments each with around 40separate variations to cover buffering

27

methods, preservation of calcium, oil globu-les, etc. These experiments are being replica-ted at IOBC to increase the reliability of thefinal assessment of the best fluids, besideswork at other centres like SOSC. BathUniversity, U. K., etc. These series includeexamination in detail of the known andused techniques of fixation and preservationusing such fluids as formaldehyde andalcohol. In addition possible use of newreagents such as MDMH and DOWICIL100 are being investigated.

Most of the series are in operation now.In all experiments pH measurements andformaldehyde assay, where needed, arecarried on along with observation on speci-men condition. These experiments arecarried on board 'Blue Fin' and 'Neenda-kara'. Preservation experiments are carriedon at the laboratory. Whole mount stain-ing for observing the effects of the fluids onthe whole animal and histological sectioningand staining to reveal tissue character haveto be started in near future.

Participants and invitees at the meeting of the Consultative Committee at Panaji, Goa

28

2.6

biological

oceanography unit

panaji

A. Hydrography and Productivity ofMormagao Bay

B. Environmental Features of Mandoviand Zuari Estuaries

C. Phytoplankton and Zooplankton inthe Estuaries

2.6 Biological Oceanography Unit, Panaji

Studies have been undertaken onprimary production and its seasonal anddiurnal variations in the waters of Goaregion as an initial step to understand theBiological productivity of the area in relationto environment conditions.

A. Hydrography and Productivity ofMormagao Bay

The Mormagao Bay which is an estuaryof the river Zuari has somewhat pronounceddiurnal tides which influence the variousphysical and chemical conditions of thewaters.

The annual surface temperature variat-ion was of the order of 5°C, the limits being26°C and 31°C. There are two peaks duringOctober-December and April-May. The sali-nity showed much greater variations rangingbetween 13.4% and 35.5%. In general marineconditions prevailed almost throughout the

year except for the period of the southwest monsoon. Diurnal picture of salinityvariations during the south west monsoonwas quite interesting in that, there was afluctuation of the order of about 12.6%during spring tide as compared with 3.6%during neap tide. Turbidity and Extinctioncoefficient were high from May to Augustand low from October to April. Duringthe south west monsoon because of hightrubidity due to excessive suspended matter,light peneration is considerably reduced upto 10 p p m of turbidity, the variation ofextinction coefficient with turbidity followsexponential pattern. At higher values ofturbidity this relationship is considerablydisturbed.

The primary productivity along withthe other oceanographic parameters showeda marked seasonal pattern which is largelyinduced by the south west monsoon. In-crease of the primary productivity by abouttwo or three times during premonsoonand postmonsoon period as observed byoxygen evolution method, was related tothe cycle of phytoplankton abundance.

The period of greater difference betweengross and net primary productivity coincideswith the period of higher temperature valuein the area which probably affects the res-piration rate of the organisms.

Short term changes in the parametersinduced by the tide and light and darkconditions of the days were also wellmarked.

B. Environmental Features of Mandoviand Zuari Estuaries

A comparative study of certain ocean-ographic and Biological aspect of the twoestuaries at spring and neap tides wereconducted from August to February toassess the seasonal influence on the ecosy-stems. Temperature, salinity, pH, dissolvedoxygen, nutrients, chlorophyll pigment,

29

biological productivity and plankton showedmarked tidal influence which varied duringmonsoon and postmonsoon periods.

The two estuaries were somewhat war-mer in August than in early February.During southwest monsoon the temperatureshowed tide controlled rhythm in Zuariestuary while in Mandovi estuary the temper-ature was apparently related closely to thevariations in the atmospheric temperature.But during postmonsoon the effect of tidewas noticeable both in Mandovi and Zuariestuaries as the temperature decreased withthe flood and increased at the ebb.

In the Zuari estuary almost marineconditions prevail during the postmonsoonmonths with little freshwater discharge.In the Mandovi estuary on the other handappreciable changes in the salinity continueto occur during the postmonsoon monthsalso as a result of considerable fresh waterdischarge by the tributaries feeding theMandovi river.

High and low values of dissolvedoxygen were obtained with the flood andebb tides in the two estuaries and in thepostmonsoon months and fluctuation weresmaller than those during the monsoonmonths. Moreover, during the monsoonmonths the dissolved oxygen values in thetwo estuaries showed a marked inverserelationship with the salinity in the area.In the postmonsoon months also a similarinverse relationship between oxgyen andsalinity was observed in the Zuari estuarybut in the Mandovi estuary the dissolvedoxygen appeared to be influenced more bythe temperature.

The two estuaries are rich in the inor-ganic phostphate-P the source of which inthe Zuari estuary appears to be largely fromneritic waters, whereas in regard to the phos-phate-P in the Mandovi estuary land drai-nage influences are apparent. The in situ

fluctuations of chlorophyll a in relation toflood and ebb were well marked, in both theestuaries. As compared to the Zuari estuarythe pigment concentration in the Mandoviestuary was high but the magnitude of varia-tion in the quantity of chlorophyll a wasconsiderable in both the estuaries during themonsoon period.

It is interesting to note that theconcertration of chlorophyll a was inverselyrelated to the salinity in the estuaries as thelatter changed with the flood and ebb tides.Probably the flora associated with lowersalinity dominates the crop of phytoplan-kton in the Zuari and Mandovi estuaries.

Diurnal changes in the chlorophyllcontent of natural phytoplankton popul-ations due to endogenous rhythm havebeen well known. Also the photoperiod issupposed to be the causative factor of suchdiurnal rhythm. However, in dynamic est-uarine ecosystems such as the Zuari andMondovi estuaries, the effect of day andnight conditions seem to be overshadowedby the tidal changes and thus the quantityof the pigment is probably influenced bydifferent stock of phytoplankton which isintroduced by the flood and ebb tides.

Primary production in the Zuari andMandovi estuaries during monsoon andpostmonsoon periods which was studied bythe rate of photosynthesis (C1 4 uptake) inthe incubator exposed to constant illumin-ation was found to be closely related tochanges in the organic phosphate & chloro-phyll a which in turn varied markedly withthe flood and ebb tides.

Experiments on C1 4 assimilation of thenatural phytoplankton in the laboratoryunder constant illumination indicated thatin natural environments the south-westmonsoon causing excessive turbulence, highturbidity and insufficient light penetrationprobably affects the photsoynthetic activityof phytoplankton even in the presence ofhigh concentration of nutrients.

30

C. Phytoplankton and Zooplankton in theEstuaries

Studies on the biological productivityof Goa waters would be incomplete withoutinformation on the seasonal abundance ofplankton and the succession of variousspecies forming the total crop in relationto time, tide and space.

Diatoms showed only one maximum ina year i. e. the summer peak from Februaryto April inclusive with a secondary rise inDecember which, however almost mergedwith the general maximum.

On the west coast, the phytoplanktonproduction period in Bombay harbour isfrom September to February while off Cali-cut the primary maximum of plankton bloomis from May to September. According tothe present observations, waters of Goa coastappear to be intermediate by having itsplankton maximum from February toApril.

It is interesting to note that the summerpeak and the secondary December rise ofphytoplankton coincides with that of zoo-plankton in the region. This contradictsthe classical relationship as phytoplanktonpeak should be followed by the zooplanktonpeaks, since the former serves as food forthe latter. Probably tidal currents andvertical turbulance might also be partlyresponsible for the negative correlation ofthe phyto and zooplankton in the estuaries.

Rare occurrence of phytoplankton andcomplete disappearance of zooplanktonduring peak south west monsoon period in

July-August has been recorded in relationto high rainfall, low surface salinity,low pH, high turbidity and insufficientlight penetration. Numerical abundanceof diatoms at the surface in the Zuari andMandovi changed with the flood andthe ebb. These changes were well markedduring the post monsoon period. Duringthe monsoon month the diatoms were moreabundant in the Zuari estuary than in theMandovi estuary whereas during the post-monsoon period the diatoms counts in theZuari estuary were similar in relation tohigh waters. However, the pattern ofvariations in the number of diatoms in thetwo estuaries in relation to tides during mon-soon and postmonsoon months correspondedwith that of chlorophyll a and the rate ofphotosynthesis (C1 4 uptake). Thus thepigment quantity and the rate of productionin the two estuaries were closely relatedwith natural phytoplankton populations.

Inspite of the negative correlation ofthe phytoplankton with zooplankton succ-ession, there appears to be a definite patternof the succession of certain species of phy-toplankton forming the major constituentsof the existing crop in relation to variousseasons.

Out of major diatoms, Coscinodiscusand Thallasiosira occur throughout the yearwhereas Chaetoceros and Aulacodiscus occurduring October to April. Thallasiothryxappears only during the secondary bloom ofdiatoms from October to December whereasPleurosigma is noticeable only fromDecember to June. Fish larvae were coll-ected only during October.

31

2.7

niο field unitbombay

Gulf of Cambay Investigations

Gulf of Cambay Investigations

Studies on hydrography and biology ofthe waters of the Gulf of Cambay andaround Bombay were continued during theperiod under review.

Studies on the plankton and benthicfauna along with hydrographic data collectedduring the cruises 1, 2, 3 on board I. N. S.'Darshak' undertaken during the previousyear were completed and a paper entitled'Studies on hydrobiological features of theGulf of Cambay, Part I. Preliminary Account'by the scientists of Bombay unit has beenprepared. Hydrographical parameters in-vestigated were salinity and temperature.The results showed that the Gulf is bothisothermal and isohaline. There was a com-plete absence of microfauna in the interiorof the Gulf but predominance of Foramini-fera was very evident. The plankton wasrich towards the mouth of the gulf butdecreased towards the interior region.

Sediment core samples collected fromthe northeastern part of the Arabian Seaduring cruise-2 on board I. N. S. 'Darshak'in January to February, 1967 have beenanalysed for study of the nature and distri-bution of Foraminifera. A paper entitled'On some Foraminifera from northeasternpart of the Arabian Sea' by K. KameswaraRao has been sent for publicationin the Proceedings of Indian Academy

of Sciences (1970). This paper describedninety two species of Foraminifera belong-ing to 40 genera of 16 families. Foramini-feral species recorded for the first time inIndian waters are Textularia pseudocarinataCushman, 2) Virgulina concava Hoglund,3) Virgulina pauciloculata H. B. Brady, 4)Loxostoma rostrum Cushman, 5) Lagenasulcata (Walker and Jacob) var. spicataCushman and Mc Culloch, 6) Lagena costata(Williamson) var. amphora Reuss, 7)Elphidium oceanicum Cushman and 9) Glo-bigerina calida Parker.

The foraminiferal fauna of the contin-ental shelf waters of the northwestern partof India is similar to that of Gulf of Cambayand most of the species reported in thispaper are also known from the tropicalPacific and Philippines.

During Feb.-March 1970, a cruise wasundertaken in the Gulf of Cambay on boardI. N. S. 'Darshak' in which hydrographicaland biological data were collected. Also acontinuous echo-sounding was made and anechogram of the cruise track for about 300miles was obtained for the study of thenature of bottom profile. The echogramshows that the inner shelf is gently slopingand smooth with little topographic reef.The outer shelf in sharp contrast is highlyirregular all the way to the shelf edge (140meters) being composed of pinnacles, knollswith intervening depressions and is verysimilar to the topography commonly foundin areas of reefs.

The area under investigation consistsof two very distinct sediment types. Fromthe shore to a depth of 60 meters, designatedas the inner shelf, the sediments are domi-nantly olive green silty clays with littlecalcareous matter. From 60 meters to adepth of 140 meters, designated as the outshelf, carbonate rocks and sediments, thelatter being composed of corals, oolites andshells of gastropods, Foraminifera aredominant.

32

cruises conducted

during the year

1. On board Steamers of the

M/s Chowgule Steam-ship Co.

2. First cruise of Blue-Fin.

3. Cruise number 6 on boardINS Darshak.

(1) On board steamers ofM/s Chowgule Steamship Co.

During the year 7 cruises were made onboard the passenger ship plying betweenPanaji and Bombay belonging to M/sChowgule Steamship Co. Facilities wereprovided for making observations at theat the various ports of call by the ship.Thus nearshore oceanographic studies havebeen undertaken at the stations off the fol-lowing ports:

1. Vengurla2. Malvan3. Deogad4. Vijayadurg5. Musakhasi

6. Ratnagiri7. Jaigad8. Harnai9. Shrivardhan, and

10. Jangira

At these stations, in addition to routinehydrographic observations, primary produc-tion measurements and also plankton collec-tions were made. As most of these stations

were shallow having depths of not more than5 metres, all collections were made fromsurface to 3 metres. Collections were madeboth during day time and night time. Thehydrographic data are being analysed.

In regard to the measurement of phyto-plankton surface samples were filtered andthe plankton abundance was estimated bymeasurement of Chlorophyll. Preliminaryobservations indicate that the maximumvalue of Chlorophyll was recorded in themonth of May. The values were of theorder of 9.5 mg. per cubic metre. In thecourse of these observations the influence ofthe land drainage on the plankton produc-tion in the nearshore environment was alsostudied. The study of the zooplanktoncollected during these cruises indicate thepattern of distribution and seasonal varia-tions along the Konkan coast.

Marked fluctuations have been observedin all the places during this observationperiod from November, 1969 to May, 1970.Based on the displacement volume ofZooplankton two peaks in the biomass wereclearly seen in all the places, one duringNovember/December and another duringApril/May. Ratnagiri, Sriwardhan, Harnaiand Jangira seem to be fairly good placesfor the high production of Zooplankton.Night samples, as usual, are rich in theirconcentration. The highest value was obser-ved at Jangira during April in a nightsample. The minimum values were obtainedat different places from December-Februaryat different times. As usual copepods domi-nated in almost all the samples. Decapodlarvae were fairly abundant in all the placeswhere there is an influence of river system.January samples showed a peak for thisgroup. Cladocerans were fairly good inNovember upto Ratnagiri, a zone whereheavy mackerel landings were reported.Number of mackerel shoals were also obs-erved in this zone. Chaetognaths repres-entation was also fairly good followed byMedusae, Polychaete larvae, Oikopleura sp.

33

2.8

Pteropods, Amphipods, Ostracods, fish-eggs and larvae. Few specimens of Gosseasp. (hydro-medusae) were collected on18.5.70 from Vengurla (day sample). Gosseais a new record for the Indian Ocean, if itwill prove to be G. brachymera as our speci-mens have a close relationship to that.Otherwise it will be a new species.

Again from Vengurala in a night sam-ple on 24.5.70 another hydromedusae,Podocoryne ocellata was recorded whichis also probably a new record for theIndian Ocean. Further investigations onthe validity of these two hydromedusae andother qualitative and quantitative aspectsof zooplankton are in progress.

34

2) First Cruise of Blue-Fin

Report on the 1st cruise of 'Blue Fin'

Cruise No. : 1

Cruise period & itinerary : 24-2-70 to 26-2-70 Dep: Cochin 24-2-70 1640 hrs.

Arr: Cochin 27-2-70 0700 hrs.

Area of operation : Off Kerala Coast; between Cochin and Quilon.

Ship Details : BLUE FIN (Overall length 28.45 m.; Displacementlightship 192 tons; 600-650 H. P.: Skipper: Shri K. Balan)

Participating organisations : i) National Institute of Oceanography

ii) Central Institute of Fisheries Operatives.

Project personnel : Dr. T. S. Satyanarayana Rao, IOBC (Leader)

Mr. M. Sakthivel, IOBC.Mr. P. Udayavarma Tirupad, POD.Mr. Ch. Madhusudana Rao, POD.Mr. T. Balachandran, IOBCMr. K. K. Chandrasekharan Nair, IOBC.Mr. S. V. M. Abdul Rahim, IOBC.Mr. K. V. S. Murthy, CIFO.Mr. A. Subramanyam CIFO + 8 trainees of CIFO.

Object : 1) To make a detailed study on the vertical distributionof zooplankton in relation to the thermocline depth;

2) To study the seasonal changes of zooplankton inrelation to hydrographical changes;

3) To relate zooplankton distribution with DSL andfish abundance; and

4. Training of operative trainees of CIFO in handlingof oceanographic equipment and collection ofenvironmental data.

Study area : Three tracks were covered off Cochin, Alleppey andQuilon each with 4 stations and a deep sea station at 1000m. off Quilon.

Weather : Clear throughout and slow moving swell.

Station List and

observations : List attached.

BT net was used to collect zooplanktonsamples by vertical hauls from bottom tosurface; and from the depth of thermoclineto surface. It was interesting to observethat the volume of zooplankton was ratherhigh across the Quilon section rather thanAlleppey and Cochin sections.

Nansen bottles were operated atdepths(rn) 10, 20, 30, 50, 75, 100, 150, 200wherever possible for oxygen, salinity, tem-perature and phytoplankton samples. BTwas operated to find out the depth ofthermocline. The thermocline depth variedbetween 75 and 100 m. in the offshore area.

3) Cruise No. 6 of INS DARSHAK

Cruise period

Area of operation

Itinerary

Personnel

Object

Weather/Currents

Hydrographical studies

February 3-11-1970

Bombay to Gulf of Cambay, India.

January 4 Depart BombayJanuary 7-8 Occupy stations in the Arabian Sea off north-western part of India.January 11 Return to Bombay.

Dr. B. N. Desai, Scientist, NIO, Bombay (Leader)Shri R. R. Nair. Scientist, NIO, Goa.Shri K. Kameswara Rao, Junior Scientific Assistant, NIO.Bombay.

To investigate hydrographical features. Biology andGeology of the Gulf of Cambay in the northwestern partof India.

Weather was clear during this cruise and there were noclouds. Sky was blue and the visibility very good. Therewere no strong currents.

Measurements of surface and bottom temperatures, salinityand oxygen. The temperatures of surface waters at differentstations had been observed to vary from 25 to 26°C and thoseof bottom waters at varying depths from 18.9 to 25.3°C.Similarly surface salinities ranged from 35.9 to 36.8%O, those

35

Sediments:

Plankton

of bottom waters from 36.1 to 36.6%o, oxygen from4.8 to 5.8 ml/1 (surface) and that of bottom waters from1.5 to 5.5 ml/1. The depth of water varied from 49 to 219maters.

A continuous echosounding was made and an echogram ofthe cruise track for about 300 miles was obtained for thestudy of the nature of bottom profile. The echogram showedthat the inner shelf was gently sloping and smooth with littletopographic relief. The outer shelf in sharp contrast washighly irregular all the way to the shelf edge (140 meters)being composed of pinnacles, knolls with interveningdepressions and was very similar to the topography com-monly found in areas of reefs.

Area under investigation consisted of two very distinctsediment types. From the shore to a depth of 60 meters,designated as the inner shelf, the sediments were dominantlyolive green silty clays with little calcareous matter. From60 meters to a depth of 140 meters, designated as the outershelf, carbonate rocks and sediments, the latter beingcomposed of corals, oolites and shells of gastropods,Foraminifera were dominant.

As in the previous cruise, it had been observed that somesamples were rich in medusae and others were dominated byCopepods and Chaetognaths

36

BLUE FIN CRUISE

24-2-1970 to 26-2-1970

LOG

3.

administrative set up

3.1 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

1. Dr. P. KoteswaramDirector General of ObservatoriesIndia Meteorological DepartmentLodi Road, New Delhi-3

2. Dr. A N. BoseHead of the Department of FoodTechnology & Biochemical EngineeringJadavpur UniversityJadavpur, Calcutta-32

3. Cdre. K. R. Ram Nath, I. N.DirectorNaval Science & TechnologyR & D OrganisationMinistry of DefenceNew Delhi

4. Prof. S. P. ChatterjeeDirectorNational Atlas Organization1, Acharya Jagadish Bose RoadCalcutta - 20

5. Shri C. V. GoleDirectorCentral Water and Power Research

StationGovt. of India20, Bombay Poona Road, Poona-3

6. Prof. R. RamanadhamProfessor of Meteorology andOceanographyAndhra UniversityWaltair (A. P.)

39

7. Shri S. K. Ranganathan — MemberDeputy DirectorNaval Science & TechnologyR & D OrganizationMinistry of DefenceNew Delhi

8. Director-General — Ex-Officio-MemberScientific & Industrial ResearchRafi Marg, New Delhi

9. F. A. to C. S. I. R. —

10. DirectorNational Institute of Oceanography — ,,Panaji, Goa

The Chairman of the Executive Council is yet to be nominated.

3.2 SUB-COMMITTEES OF THE EXECUTIVE COUNCIL*

Scientific Sub-committee

A. Physical & Chemical

1. Prof. A. N. Bose2. Prof. R. Ramanadham3. Shri C. V. Gole4. Dr. P. Koteswaram5. Prof. D. Lal6. Dr. A. K. Ganguly7. Director, Naval, Physical and

Oceanographic Laboratory Cochin.8. Prof. D. B. Wagh9. Director, NIO - Convener

B. Biological

1. Dr. C. V. Kulkarni2. Dr. R. Raghu Prasad3. Shri G. N. Mitra4. Prof. S. Krishnaswami5. Director, Naval Chemical and

Metallurgical Laboratory, Bombay6. Director, NIO - Convener

C. Geological

1. Prof. M. S. Krishnan2. Shri K. K. Dar (Atomic Minerals

Division)

3. Representative from GeologicalSurvey of India.

4. Prof. A. G. Jhingran, Delhi Uni-versity.

5. Director, Naval Science & Tech-nolngy

6. Director, NIO - Convener

II. Building & Finance Sub-Committee

1. Chairman, Executive Council, NIO2. Secretary, CSIR.

3. FA to CSIR4. Principal Engineer, PWD, Govt.

of Goa, Daman and Diu5. Director, NIO - Convener

III. Ship Facilities Sub-committee

L Chief Hydrographer to the Govt.of India

2. Commodore I. K. Puri, I. N. (Retd)3. Shri M. C. Perumal, Director, Cen-

tral Instt. of Fisheries Operatives4. Shri M. Devidas Menon, Director,

Indo-Norwegian Project.5. Director, NIO - Convener

40

3.3 BUDGET

The Budget of the Institute for the year1969-70, is as given below :

Budget Item Sanctioned Actual(Rs. in (Rs. inlakhs) lakhs)

1. Recurring 12 048. 11.775

2. Capital 6.344 6.276

Total 18.392 18.051

3.4 SCIENTIFIC & TECHNICAL STAFF

NIO Headquarters, Biological Oceano-graphy Unit, Panaji, (Goa)

DirectorDr. N. K. Panikkar

ScientistDr. P. V. Dehadrai

Senior Scientific AssistantShri S. A. H. Abidi

Senior Technical AssistantShri R. M. S. Bhargava

Research FellowShri R. A. Selvakumar

Pool OfficerDr. A. B. Wagh

Indian National Oceanographic Data

Centre, Panaji

Scientist-in-chargeSri R. Jayaraman

Scientists

Dr. S. N. Dwivedi (on deputation to Laos)Shri S. P. AnandDr. V. S. Bhatt

Senior Scientific AssistantShri D. Panakala Rao

Junior Scientific Assistant

Shri S. Y. S. Singbal

Senior Documentation Assistant

Shri S. K. Kumar

Senior LibrarianShri P. V. Dixit

Senior DraftsmanShri D. R. Mongia

Physical Oceanographic Division, Panaji

Scientist-in-charge

Dr. V. V. R. Varadachari

ScientistsShri L. V. Gangadhara RaoShri C. S. Murty

Senior Scientific AssistantShri V. HariharanShri P. K. Das

Junior Scientific Assistant

Shri M. K. Antony

Mechanical Assistant

Shri Mohammed Rafique

Unit of Physical Oceanography Division,Cochin.

Scientist-in-chargc

Shri P. S. Srivastava

Scientists

Shri V. S. Rama Raju

Senior Scientific AssistantShri P. Udaya Varma ThirupadShri P. G. KurupShri Ch. Madhusudana Rao

Senior Research FellowShri V. Narayana PillaiJunior Research FellowsShri Thomas CherianShri A. Balachandran

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Geological Oceanography Division, Panaji,Goa

Scientist-in-chargeDr. M. G. Anantha Padmanabha Setty

ScientistsShri R. R. NairShri P. S. N. Murty

Junior Scientific AssistantsShri R. M. KidwaiShri F. I. Almeida

Junior Research FellowsShri M. V. Shankaranarayana GuptaShri M. VeerayaShri B. G. Wagle

Shri R. S. Murali

Biological Oceanography Division, Cochin

Scientist- in-charge

Dr. S. Z. QasimScientistsDr. M. Krishnan KuttyShri C. V. G. ReddyDr. C. Sankarankutty

Senior Scientific Assistant

1. Shri B. M. Panikkar2. Shri P. M. A. Bhattathiri3. Shri V. P. Devassy

Senior Technical Assistant1. Shri U. K. GopalanResearch FellowsShri V. N. SankaranarayananShri P. Sivadas

Indian Ocean Biological Centre, Cochin

Scientist-in-chargeDr. T. S. S. Rao

ScientistsShri L. R. KasturiranganDr. M. J. GeorgeDr. R. V. Unnithan

Senior Scientific Assistants

Shri P. Gopala MenonShri M. SakthivelShri K. J. PeterDr. (Smt) M. Saraswathy

Junior Scientific Assistants

Shri P. N. Aravindakshan

., Jacob George„ George Peter„ V. T. Paulinose

Shrimati Vijayalakshmi R. NairShri T. BalachandranShrimati C. B. Lalithambika DeviShri T. C. Gopalakrishnan

,, K. K. Chandrasekharan NairShrimati V. SanthakumariShri Pramodkumar S. Gore

Research Fellows

Dr. N. Ravindranatha MenonShri S. C. Goswami

,, S. Subramanian

4. Library & Documentation

The library facilities are available at allthe divisions of the Institute. There is acommon library for all the divisions atErnakulam. In all, the library of theinstitute is having 4000 books on variousdisciplines of Marine Science and it isreceiving 85 journals and periodicals fromall over the world.

The library receives and issues booksand periodicals on inter-library loan basiswith the libraries of the various institutionsin the country. The copies of acquisitionlist (consisting of newly purchased books)are periodically distributed among scientificstaff to keep them informed of the additionsto the library.

Documentation work has been in pro-gress on the following lines:

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1. Survey of the papers and articles pub-lished on various disciplines of MarineSciences by Indian authors from 1957-1969, was made to explore the possibi-lities of starting a 'Journal of MarineSciences'. The findings were sent tothe Chief Editor, Publication & Infor-mation Director, New Delhi forassessment.

2. The bibliographical details of papers& articles on Indian Ocean by Indianand foreign authors for the year 1969-70were obtained and a 'Selected Biblio-graphy' on the Indian Ocean, 1969was completed and published in Dece-ber 1969 issue of "MAHASAGAR",the quarterly bulletin of the InstituteVol. 5 No. 4,1969.

3. Documentation service was started inthe form of Documentation list of cur-rent scientific papers and cyclostyledcopies of the same were periodicallydistributed among the Scientific Staff.The work is being continued.

5. AWARDS, HONOURS,MEMBERSHIP OF VARIOUSCOMMITTEES

Dr. S. Z. Quasim, Scientist has beenawarded a Commonwealth Visiting Profes-sorship in the United Kingdom for theacademic year 1970-71.

6. DEPUTATIONS

Dr. N. K. Panikkar. Director went ondeputation to France on 2nd September1969, to participate in Session IV of theIntergovernmental Oceanographic Commis-sion held in Paris. He was elected asChairman of Working Group on MutualAssistance. He was also elected Vice-Chairman of the Committee which dealtwith problems relating to long term andexpanded programme of oceanographicresearch' and the International Decade ofOcean Exploration.

Shri V. S. Ram Raju, Scientist wasdeputed to West Germany for three monthsfrom November 1969 to January 1970 foradvanced training in Physical Oceanographyunder Exchange Programme between CSIRand German Academic Exchange Service.

Shri C. V. Gangadhara Reddy, Seientistwent on deputation to the United Kingdomfrom May to August, 1969, for studying thelatest techniques in Chemical Oceanographyunder the CSIR — British Council (U.K.)Exchange Programme.

Shri P. Gopala Menon, Scientific Assistantwent on deputation to work with the Seniorspecialist for Decapod larvae, Dr. D. I.Williamson, Marine Biological Laboratory,Port Erin, Isle of Man, U. K. underUNESCO Travel Grant in January 1970.

Shri George Peter, Scientific Assistant,was deputed for practical training in special-ised plankton study in British Museumunder UNESCO fellowship, Jan-May 1969.

Shri Jacob George, Scientific Assistant,went on deputation for the special coursein Marine Biology, Denmark, training atBritish Museum and at Manchester Uni-versity under UNESCO Fellowship, A p r i l -July 1969.

7. MEETINGS, EXHIBITIONS,SEMINARS, SYMPOSIA ETC.

Meetings:The 8th Annual meeting of Consul-

tative Committee for Indian Ocean BiologicalCentre was held from 16th to 21st March,1970 at IOBC. Dr. J. E. Smith, F. R. S,Director, Marine Biological Laboratory,Plymouth, (U. K.) and Chairman of theCommittee presided.

Exhibition

Although the Institute did not organiseany exhibition during the year under report,

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44

the IOBC participted in the exhibition cond-ucted during the symposium on 'Deep SeaFishing' held at the Central Institute ofFisheries Operatives, Ernakulam by puttingup some charts depicting the distribution offish eggs and larvae in the Indian Ocean.

Sl. No. Names of Participants

1. Dr. S. Z. Qasim

2. Dr. T. S. S. Rao

3. Mr. P. S. Srivastava

4. Dr. N. R. Menon &Mr. S. C. Goswami

5. Mr. P. Venugopal &Dr. N. R. Menon

6. Dr. (Mrs) Saramma Abraham

7. Mr. D. J. Tranter

8. Mr. K. C. Nair &Mr. D. J. Tranter

9. Mrs. Vijayalakshmi R. Nair &

Dr. T. S. S. Rao

10. Mrs. V. Shantakumari

11. Mr. V. P. Devassy

12. Mr. K. J. Peter &Mr. T. O. Chandrabhanu

13. Mr. Abraham Pylee14. Mr. V. N. Pillai

15. Dr. T. S. S. Rao &Mr. D. J. Tranter

Symposia

First all India Symposium on EstuarineBiology held at Tambaram, Madras on

Sl. No. NIO Participants

I. Padmakar V. Dehadri

Seminar

A seminar on Monsoonal changes inthe Zooplankton of the Cochin backwaterswas held in July !969. The details of theparticipants are given as under.

Subject

Survey of the work at BODSurvey of the work done in all the othercoastal areas of India.A few oceanographic equipment used inestuarine studies

Fortnightly changes at two fixed stations.

Tintinnids

Systematics of Acartia

Ecology of Acartia

Biomass and faunistic changes along thesalinity gradient in the two seasons.

Chaetognaths

On Hydromedusae

Faunal studies in the backwaters

Fish eggs and larvae

An Instrument for use in backwatersOrigin of backwaters and salinity gradientsVembanadFuture programme of research at IOBC

December 27-30, 1969 was attendedby several scientists. The list of participantsfrom the Institute and papers read by themis given below.

Papers contributed

Changes in the environmental features ofZuari and Mandovi esturies in relation totides.

Sl. No. Names

1. Dr. Erik Hagmeier

2. Dr. Robert G. Wear

3. Prof. G. E. Fogg

4. Dr. Allen Munro5. Dr. John Wells6. Dr. J. E. Smith7. Dr. M. Seyaert

8. Dr. M. Omori

9. Prof. B. Kimor

10. Prof. T. S. Rass

11. Dr. A. Fleminger

Subject of Lectures

On Research Activities in Indonesia and Helgoland

(i) Current marine research activities and fisheries devel-opment in New Zealand(ii) Decapod larvae and related research work at theVictoria University, New Zealand.

Antarctic Productivity

Some aspects of the Biology of sandy shores.

Some problems of marine pollution

Research on the phytoplankton ecosystem in the subtro-pical zones.

A commercially important Sergestid Shrimp Sergesteslucens Hansen, its biology and forecasting for fisheries.

Some aspects of plankton associations in the easternMediterranean.

Geographical examples in world fisheries

Maintenance of distribution and range among boundarycurrent Copepods.

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2. Saramma Abraham

3. N. Ravindranatha MenonP. Venugopal & S. C. Goswami

4. V. Santhakumari &M. Vannucci

5. K. K. C. Nair & D. J. Tranter

6. M. Saraswathy

7. N. Ravindranatha Menon

8. Vijayalakshmi R. Nair

8. COLLOQUIA AND SPECIAL LECTURES

The following lectures were delivered by distinguished visitors to the IOBC.

A preliminary systematic survey of thefamily Acartiidae with special reference toCochin backwater.

Tidal biomass and faunistic composition ofthe zooplankton in the Cochin backwaters.

Monsoonal fluctuations in the distributionof the Hydromedusae in Cochin backwaters1968-69.

Zooplankton distribution along salinitygradient in the Cochin backwaters beforeand after the monsoon.

The period and nature of settlement ofshipworms in Cochin backwaters, a tropicalestuary on the South West coast of India.

Vertical and horizontal distribution of foul-ing bryozoans in Cochin backwaters.

Seasonal fluctuations of Chaetognaths in theCochin backwaters.

9. DISTINGUISHED VISITORS

Dr. John D. Issacs,

Mary Carol Issacs,

Prof. G. Krishnan.

Mr. Willian B. Cox,Dr. Erik Hagmeier,Prof. V. J. Mathew,Dr. K. J. Joseph,Prof. G. E. Fogg,Prof. S. Dutt,

Prof. T. S. Rass

Dr. A. Fleminger,

Dr. M. Steyaert

Prof. B. Kimor

Mr. J. M. Howe

Dr. M. Omori.

Dr. J. E. Smith

Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, California,USA.

Scripps Institution of Oceanography La Jolla, California,USA.

Director, Zoology Laboratory University of Madras.Madras

Geographic Attache, American Embassy, New Delhi

Biologische Anstalt. Helgoland, W. Germany

Professor of Zoology, St. Philomena's College Mysore.

Professor of Zoology, University of Calicut, Calicut.Westfield College, London. NW. 3.Department of Zoology, Andhra University, Postgraduate Centre, Guntur—5

Institution of Oceanography. Academy of Sciences.Moscow, USSR.Scripps Institution of Oceanography. La Jolla, Calif,USAUNESCO Office of Oceanography, Paris. FranceSea Fisheries Research Station, Haifa, Israel

UNESCO Liaison Officer, New Delhi—3

Ocean Research Institute, University of Tokyo, Japan

Director. The Laboratory of the Marine BiologicalAssociation, Citadel Hill. Plymouth.

At the Annual Day Celebrations of the Regional Centres of NIO, Cochin- Dr. M. Vannucci distributing prizes to winners.

GEORGE, M. J. 1969.Two new records of scyllarid lobsters fromthe Arabian Sea J. mar. biol. Ass. India.9(2) : 433-435

GOPALAN, U. K. 1969Studies on the maturity and spawning ofSilver pomfret, Pampus argenteus in theArabian Sea Bull. natn. Inst. Sci. India.No. 38, pt. II: 785 796

KAMESWARA RAO, K. 1970.On a little known miliolid foraminifera fromnortheastern part of the Arabian Sea. Curr.

Sci. 39 (4) : 87

KRlSHNAN KUTTY, M. ANDS. Z. QASIM 1969.

Theoretical yield studies on the large scaletongue sole. Cynoglossus macrolepidotusfrom the Arabian Sea. Bull. natn. Inst. Sci.India 38 pt. II: 864-875

MENON,N. RAVINDRANATHA ANDNAIR, N. BALAKRISHNAN.196S.

Rediscovery of Bugulella clvata Hincks(Ectoprocta) curr. Sci. 38: 439-440

MENON,N. RAVINDRANATHA ANDNAIR, N. BALAKRISHNAN.1969.

Notes on Alcyonidium erectum Silen (Ecto-procta) from the Indian Oecan Curr. 38116—117

MURTY, P. S N.. CH M. RAO,AND C. V. G. REDDY. 1969.

Distribution of nickel in the marine sedi-ments of the west coast of India. Curr. Sci.39 (2): 30 -32

MURTY, P. S. N .REDDY, C. V. G. ANDV. V. R. VARADACHARI 1969

Distribution of organic matter in the marinesediments off the west coast of India. Proc.natn. Inst. Sci. India 35 (5) B. 377—384

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10

publications

10.1 PUBLICATIONS OF THEINSTITUTE

1. Annual Report 1968-69

2. Quarterly Bulletin of the Institute."MAHASAGAR" Vol. 2 No. 1to 4.

10.2 PAPERS PUBLISHED BYSTAFF MEMBERS

ARAVINDAKSHAN P. N. 1969Preliminary report on the geographicaldistribution of the species of Carinariidaeand Pterotracheidae (Heteropoda. Mollusca)from the International Indian Ocean Ex-pedition. Bull. natn. lnst. Sci. India. 38Pt. II : 575-584

DESAI. B. N. AND M.KRISHNANKUTTY, 1969

Comparison of the marine and estuarinebenthic fauna of the nearshore regions of theArabian Sea. Bull. natn. lnst. Sci. India.38 pt. 11: 677-683

GEORGE, M. J. 1969.Systematics-Taxonomic considerations andgeneral distribution. In 'Prawn Fisheriesof India'. Bull Cent. Mar. Fish. Res. Inst.14: 5-48

GEORGE, M J. 1969.Genus Metapenaes Wood Manson andAlcock 1891 Bull Cent Mar. Fish. Res.Inst. 14: 77-126

GEORGE, M. J. 1969.Genus Microbrachium Bate 1868 Bull. Cent.Mar. Fish. Res. Inst. 14: 179-216

PANIKKAR, N. K. 1969Developments in Indian Marine Fisheries.Fisheries of Western Indian Ocean. Scienceand Industry International year book 1968U. S. S. R. : 92—101

PANlKKAR, N. K. 1969Fishery resources of the Indian OceanBull. natn. Inst. Sci India. 38 pt II :667—673

QASIM, S. Z. ANDC. K. GOPINATHAN, 1969

Tidal cycle and the environmental featuresof Cochin backwater (a tropical estuary).Proc. Indian. Acad. Sci. 69 : 336—348

QASIM, S.Z., S. WELLERSHAUS,P. M. A. BHATTATHIRI,AND S. A. H. ABIDI, 1969.

Organic production in a tropical estuary.Proc. Indian Acad. Sci. 69 : 51—94

RAO, M. SUBBA ANDCh. M. RAO, 1969

A preliminary note on sedimentation duringa single tidal cycle on the Waltair beach.Geological review of India. 31 (3): 41—45

SAKTHIVEL, M. 1969A preliminary report on the distribution andrelative abundance of Euthecosomata witha note on the seasonal variations of Limacinaspecies in the Indian ocean. Bull. natn. Inst.Sci. India. 38 pt II: 700—717

SANKARANARAYANAN,V. N. AND S. Z. QASIM, 1969.

The influence of some hydrographical fact-ors on the fisheries of Cochin area. Bull,natn. Inst. Sci. India No. 38 pt. II: 846—853

SANKARANARAYANAN,V. N., AND S. Z. QASIM, 1969.

Nutrients of the Cochin Backwaters in

relation to environmental characteristicsMar. Biol. 2 (3) : 236—247

SANTHAKUMARI, V. ANDN. BALAKRISHNAN, NAIR,1969.

A Commensalic hydroid from marine wood-boring molluscs. J. nat. Hist. (London)3(1) : 19-33

SANTHAKUMARI, V. 1970.On the life cycle of Eutima cammensalis-sp. nov. (Eutimidae, Hydromedusae) Mar.Biol. 5 (2) : 113-118

SARASWATHY, M. ANDN. BALAKRISHNAN NAIR1969

Biochemical changes in relation to thebreeding cycle of Nausitora hedleyi Schep-man (Bivalvia Teredinidae) Curr. Sci. 38(7):158-160

UNNITHAN, R. V. 1970Patterns of secondary growth and a revisionof systematics in Microcotylidoidea andGastrocotylidae (Monogenoidea). Rec. Z.S. I. 64.

VARMA, P. U. ANDP. G. KURUP, 1969.

Formation of Chackara (mud bank) on theKerala Coast Curr. Sci. 38 (23) : 559-560

WELLERSHAUS, STEFAN, 1969On the Taxonomy of Planktonic copepodain the Cochin Backwaters ( a south IndianEstuary), veroo ffentlichungen des Institutefurr Meeresforschung in Bremerhaven BandXI :245-286

*Exchange programme Scholar fromWest Germany at the Biological Ocean-ography Division of NIO, Cochin.

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