Physicochemical parameters and microbial loads of marine cage farm environment at Polem, Goa

Present study was undertaken at the marine cage farm of Polem Village, Goa. Water and sediment samples were analysed for evaluation of the physicochemical characteristics and total cultivable heterotrophic bacteria. No significant variation was observed in the physicochemical parameters of water except for inorganic phosphate (p<0.05). Total cultivable bacterial count ranged from 2.06 to 19.27 x 104cfu g-1 and from 1.14 to 8.41 x 104 cfu g-1, while total presumptive vibrio count ranged from 0.15 to 1.57 x 104 g-1 and 0.09 to 0.78 x 10-4 g-1. Results of the present investigation revealed that all the parameters studied were within the optimum range and cage farming with limited number of cages does not have major impacts on the water and sediment quality.