CMFRI takes up captive breeding of spiny lobsters

By P. Oppili

CHENNAI JULY 5. The Kovalam Field Laboratory of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), which was lying disused for nearly a decade, has started functioning and the authorities have taken up the work of captive breeding, larval rearing and nursery breeding of `Spiny Lobsters'.

The objective of the programme being implemented with the participation of the local community is to help local fishermen catch lobsters during the lean season, say the CMFRI authorities.

At the lab, the authorities are collecting the buried lobsters (pregnant ones), which will take more than a fortnight to hatch. The hatched larvae will be fed with zooplanktons, which are being raised at the lab itself, they say. The larva cycle is about six to eight months, after which they become young ones.

A CMFRI scientist, Joe Kizhakudal, who had successfully implemented a similar programme at fishing hamlets in Gujarat was invited to the city for a similar venture, says the Scientist In-Charge, H.Mohamad Kasim. Soon after they are hatched, the larvae start their journey in the waters and reach the deep sea following the water current patterns. Once they reach the stage of young lobsters, they come back to the same place where they were hatched, like the Olive Ridley sea turtles, he says. The larvae can swim without any feed up to a distance of 500 km, he adds.

Mr. Kizhakudal, who interacted with the Gujarat fishermen and disseminated awareness about protecting young lobsters, said fishermen should not damage or disturb the habitat of the lobsters. Moreover, they also have to release the young ones into the waters whenever they are unintentionally caught in the net. Such a gesture will help them have better lobster catch in the long run, he says. Buried lobsters and the undersized ones should not be removed from the waters, says Mr. Kizhakudal. If the undersized ones are caught, they can be handed over to the lab, where they can be raised to `regulation' sizes, after which they can be sold in the market, he explains to the local fishermen at Kovalam.

Community participation is the major component for the success of the programme, which will help the fishermen earn their living even during the lean seasons, the CMFRI authorities says.
http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/07/06/stories/2003070606870300.htm

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You are not what you do , you do what you are

One's profession and career should be their  hobby, passion and cause

 

Sudarshan Rodriguez,

Project Consultant,

UNDP-GoI Post- Tsunami Environment Initiative

Flat 2B, Adithya Apartments,

38 Balakrishna Road,

Valmiki Nagar,Thiruvanmiyur ,

Chennai-600 041

Tamilnadu, India.

Phone:+91 44 420 19470

Mobile: +91 9840680127

Fax: +91 44 420 19468

 

Email: sudarshanr@yahoo.com

SC allows 'Blue Lady ' to enter India, to undergo inspection

The Supreme Court on Monday permitted Norwegian Ship 'Blue Lady,' containing
1240 metric tonnes of toxic asbestos, to enter Indian territorial waters
with the directions that the ship be anchored at Alang port in Gujarat for
inspection by the Indian authorities.

The vacation bench comprising Mr Justice Arijit Pasayat and Mr Justice CK
Thakker allowed the application filed by Central government seeking
permission for the entry of the ship into India.

Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramanium, appearing for the Centre,
assured the court that all safety norms related to pollution of the
environment will be adhered to and also pleaded that the inspection was not
possible unless and until the ship was permitted to arrive in Gujarat.

Sanjay Parikh counsel for the petitioner NGO 'Research Foundation for
Science", however, opposed the entry of the ship on the grounds that the
hazardous waste in the ship was yet to be decontaminated.

The court, however, rejected the contention of the petitioner and accepted
the suggestion made by an expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court
and directed that all safety norms be strictly implemented.

The court, however, did not permit the dismantling of the ship till further
orders.

It may be noted here that the ship had started from Malaysia and came to
reach its present destination via Dubai. Neighbouring Bangladesh has already
refused entry to the ship. At present it is anchored 120 km away from Indian
territorial water.

Earlier also French Government had to recall its ship containing similar
toxic hazardous substance after the Supreme Court refused entry to the ship.

Counsel for Central Pollution Control Board, Vijay Pajwani, pleaded that
hazardous waste rules pertaining to import of such toxic waste must be
strictly complied with.

http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1713384,000900040003.htm

Fishing harbour to be modernised with World Bank aid

Pondicherry, June 5. (PTI): The fishing harbour at Thengaithittu in Pondicherry would be modernised with World Bank assistance, a top Government official said on Sunday.

The modernisation was aimed at providing more number of quays, modern winch systems to lift mechanised boats to repair the marine workshop, boat making yard, cold storage and processing unit inside the harbour, Relief and Rehabilitation Commissioner of Pondicherry B V Selvaraj said in a press release here.

Selvaraj, who earlier addressed 100 fishermen on the conclusion of a four-day intensive training course by the fisheries department, said the latest technology would be explored to provide synthetic fibre feders in the quays to protect mechanised boats from being damaged.

The department conducted the course in collaboration with the Chennai-based Central Institute of Fisheries, Nautical and Engineering Training.

He said steps were being taken to build cottages along the coast, where sea based recreational facilities are available, to attract tourists. Fisherwomen would also get an alternative vocation to provide various types of sea food to tourists.

In another press release, Mary Chinna Rani, joint director (fisheries), project implementation agency attached to the tsunami reconstruction project, said a four day training programme for fishermen of coastal villages on marine engine repair and maintenance and repair of fishing nets had benefitted owners of mechanised, FRP boats and FRP catamarans.

Experts from the Central Institute of fisheres, Nautical and engineering training provided the training, which ended on June 1, she said.

http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/004200606050310.htm

Orissa villagers cut off for backing steel plant

 DHINKIA: It is a picturesque Indian coastal village off the Bay of Bengal,  lush and green. But the villagers here are starving without one proper  meal a day.  About 200 villagers of Dhinkia in Orissa state have been shunned for  welcoming India's largest foreign direct investment, a proposed $12  billion steel plant by South Korean steel giant POSCO.  The handful of pro-industry supporters have been banned from fetching  water from the wells or buying rations and vegetables from local shops in  Dhinkia, about 140 km east of the state capital, Bhubaneshwar.  “We want POSCO to set up a plant here so that our children get jobs. But  we are being punished for no crime,” says 60-year-old Hara Sutara, wearing  a torn pink sari, her voice quivering from days of no food.  A year ago, the world's fifth-largest steel maker, POSCO, signed an  agreement with the Orissa government to set up a steel plant with a  capacity to produce 12 million tonnes a year.  Availability of raw materials such as iron ore and coal and a booming  domestic market drew the global steel major to Orissa. But thousands  protested, saying the project would drive 20,000 villagers from their  homes and farms.  But the government says the plant would affect only 500 families and  create thousands of jobs. Pressed to get the project moving, the  government last month convinced a handful of villagers not to side with  protesters.  NO FOOD OR WATER  But thousands of angry protesters urged village elders to pass an order  cutting off food and water to those siding with the POSCO project.  “They went against popular will and are paying the price and whoever sides  with them will pay dearly,” Abhaya Sahoo, the leader of the anti-POSCO  movement, told Reuters.   Nrusingha Charan Sahoo, a shopowner who disobeyed and sold rice to a few  starving people was fined 5,000 rupees, while villager Babaji Sahoo was  fined 500 rupees and his goat auctioned for not turning up at a protest  rally last week.  Senior district official Satyabarata Sahoo told Reuters he had asked the  police to step in. "We are trying to help, but the situation is too  tense," senior Police officer Amarandra Panda.  POSCO officials in Bhubaneshwar say they have asked the government to  tackle the issue. "We are extremely sorry for them, and hope the problem  is solved," POSCO official Soo Jung Kim says.  Meanwhile, Maguni Kandi, 70, and some of her fellow villagers are living  on reserve food. Others are eating backyard vegetables and buying some  rations from more remote villages. "On most days, we are starving with  hardly a morsel of boiled rice to eat," Kandi says

--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are not what you do , you do what you are

One's profession and career should be their  hobby, passion and cause

 

Sudarshan Rodriguez,

Project Consultant,

UNDP-GoI Post- Tsunami Environment Initiative

Flat 2B, Adithya Apartments,

38 Balakrishna Road,

Valmiki Nagar,Thiruvanmiyur ,

Chennai-600 041

Tamilnadu, India.

Phone:+91 44 420 19470

Mobile: +91 9840680127

Fax: +91 44 420 19468

 

Email: sudarshanr@yahoo.com

Indian Tidal Power Plant to Threaten Tigers - Critics

Indian Tidal Power Plant to Threaten Tigers - Critics

Mail this story to a friend | Printer friendly version

INDIA: July 3, 2006

KOLKATA, India - Tigers in the world's largest reserve for the big cats are threatened by Indian plans for a tidal power project that will only provide electricity for a few thousand families, scientists and critics said on Friday.

The proposed US$9-million plant will generate just four megawatts of power -- enough to light up 15,000 homes -- as water from tidal rivers is allowed to rise in one of many creeks dissecting the Sunderbans and is then released through a turbine. But conservationists fear large areas of the swampy mangrove park, home to about 280 tigers in the eastern state of West Bengal, will be washed away in the process. "It is too small a power project but has the potential to wipe out tiger habitat and harm the fragile ecology," S.R. Banerjee, state WWF director told Reuters. "We have asked the central government to stop this madness." Three of the 50 or so islands that make up the Indian side of the Sunderbans -- the rest lie in neighbouring Bangladesh -- have been lost to sea erosion in recent years. S.P. Gon Chowdhury, director of the West Bengal Renewable Energy Development Agency and architect of the scheme, said there was no cause for concern. "We will get all necessary clearances before starting the work later this year," he told Reuters. "There will be no threat to the tigers." The state minister for the Sunderbans, Kanti Ganguly, said the environment would be protected and the project was important for improving the livings standards of hundreds of people. "We are going ahead with the project and the environmental hazards will be hardly any because the people behind the project have taken precautions," he told Reuters on Friday. "This project is important for raising the lifestyle of hundreds of villagers as they cannot live in the dark forever. "Once the project strarts later this year the perception of the conservationists will change forever." But environmentalists say it is hard to see how the plant -- which would be India's first tidal power scheme -- can avoid both eroding some areas of the 350 sq km (135 sq mile) park and silting up others as the natural flow of water is disrupted. "Once the canal is blocked by sluice gates, the flow of water will be completely restricted causing widespread sedimentation and siltation," Pranabesh Sanyal, a senior official of the National Coastal Zone Management Authority, said. "This will lead to eventual destruction of a large part of the mangrove," he said of the region where the river Ganges flows into the Bay of Bengal. The state government plans to construct two sluice gates at either end of the Durgaduani creek, which connects two rivers. During high tides, sea water will be allowed into the creek and as the level rises it will be released through a turbine. Over the past year, Indian officials, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, have expressed alarm at reports of a dramatic fall in the tiger population because of rampant poaching and human encroachment on leading sanctuaries. A century ago, there were about 40,000 tigers in India but according to official estimates, there are now barely 3,600 and some wildlife experts say there could be fewer than 2,000. A single tiger can fetch up US$50,000 on the black market.

Story by Bappa Majumda

 

 http://www.planetark.com/avantgo/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=37074

 

 

 

 

India to get first maritime varsity

India to get first maritime varsity
Arun Kumar Das
[ Sunday, July 02, 2006 12:53:19 amTIMES NEWS NETWORK ]
 
 
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NEW DELHI: Decks have been cleared for establishing the first maritime university in the country.

The Indian Maritime University will come up in Chennai on the patterns of the World Maritime University (WMU) in Malmo, Switzerland, and will have three regional campuses - in Mumbai, Vizag and Kolkata.

The draft Bill for the proposed university is being finalised by the shipping ministry in consultation with maritime experts and academicians.

"The Indian Maritime University Bill, 2006, is ready and will be sent to the cabinet for approval before being introduced in the monsoon session of Parliament," says shipping secretary, A K Mohapatra.

"The ministry has already procured 300 acres of land in Chennai and earmarked Rs 200 cr for the university. Work on the complex will commence shortly," he says.
"Though there are many maritime institutions and training centres, there was an urgent need to create a university to regulate them. This will help in eliminating malpractices," he adds.

India is becoming a major supplier of maritime personnel - some 77,000 are employed all over the world, including 22,000 officers.

According to a survey done by the ministry, there will be a shortfall of 46,000 officers worldwide in years to come. "Therefore, creating this university is the need of the hour," says the secretary.

The university will offer about 22 disciplines. These include degrees in marine biology, inland water transport, maritime law, maritime engineering, coastal shipping and multimodal transport.

Though the decision to set up the university was taken two years back, the draft Bill was finalised only now.

Nevertheless, the university will standardise maritime education throughout the country, bringing it at par with world standards, particularly with WMU.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1696492,curpg-2.cms

--

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You are not what you do , you do what you are

One's profession and career should be their  hobby, passion and cause

 

Sudarshan Rodriguez,

Project Consultant,

UNDP-GoI Post- Tsunami Environment Initiative

Flat 2B, Adithya Apartments,

38 Balakrishna Road,

Valmiki Nagar,Thiruvanmiyur ,

Chennai-600 041

Tamilnadu, India.

Phone:+91 44 420 19470

Mobile: +91 9840680127

Fax: +91 44 420 19468

 

Email: sudarshanr@yahoo.com