​An Annotated Checklist of Finfish and Shellfish Diversity of Pulicat Lake, Southeast Coast of India

Background: Pulicat lake is the second largest brackish water lagoon in the country, lying partly in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu states along the Coromandel Coast of South India. The present paper gives information on occurrence, habitat preference, trophic level, human utility and fishery status of finfish and shellfish species of the Pulicat Lake. Methods: An extensive survey was conducted on finfish and shellfish diversity of Pulicat Lake from November 2019 to March 2021, selecting four fish landing centres viz, Pazhaverkadu, Arambakkam (fishing villages in Tamil Nadu), Venadu and Vatembedu (fishing villages in Andhra Pradesh) situated along the Lake. Result: In the present study, A total of 145 species including species of finfishes (95), prawns (8), crabs (7) and 35 molluscs (35) were documented from the Lake. Among the four selected landing centres, the highest diversity was observed in Pazhaverkadu, registering 143 species followed by Arambakkam (123), Vatembedu (85) and Venadu (77).

Analysis of shoreline changes along the coast of Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India

Shoreline change is considered as one of the most dynamic process, which was mapped along the coast of Tiruvallur district by using topographic maps of 1976 and multi-temporal satellite images. The satellite images were pertaining to 1988, 1991, 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2016 which were used to extract the shorelines. It is important to map and monitor the HTL (High Tide line) at frequent time interval as it considered as shoreline, which was demarcated by using visual interpretation technique from satellite images and topographic maps. Followed by this, an overlay analysis was performed to calculate areas of erosion and accretion in the study area. The results revealed that the coast of Tiruvallur district lost 603 ha and gained 630 ha due to erosion and accretion respectively. It was confirmed after the ground truth survey carried out in the study area. The high accretion of 178 ha was found nearby Pulicat Lake and low accretion of 19 ha seen between Pulicat lake to Kattupali port. The high erosion area was found along the Pulicat lake, Kattupali and Ennore ports, and Ennore creek mouth and south of Ennore such as Periya Kuppam, Chinna Kuppam, Kasi Koil Kuppam, and Thyagarajapuram. It may be concluded that the main causes of coastal erosion and accretion in the study area are anthropogenic and natural factors, which alter the coastal environment.

Analysis of shoreline changes along the coast of Tiruvallur district, Tamil Nadu, India

Shore line change is considered as one of the most dynamic processes, which were mapped along the coast of Tiruvallur district by using topographic maps of 1976 and multi-temporal satellite images. The satellite images pertaining to 1988, 1991, 2006, 2010, 2013 and 2016 were used to extract the shorelines. It is important to map and monitor the HTL (High Tide Line) at frequent time intervals as the shoreline was demarcated by using visual interpretation technique from satellite images and topographic maps. Followed by this, an overlay analysis was performed to calculate areas of erosion and accretion in the study area. The results revealed that the coast of Tiruvallur district lost 603 ha and gained 630 ha due to erosion and accretion respectively. It was confirmed after the ground truth survey carried out in the study area. The high accretion of 178 ha was found nearby Pulicat Lake and low accretion of 19 ha was seen between Pulicat Lake and Kattupali Port. The high erosion area was found along the Pulicat Lake, Kattupali and Ennore ports, and Ennore creek mouth and southern Ennore such as Periya Kuppam, Chinna Kuppam, Kasi Koil Kuppam, and Thyagarajapuram. It may be concluded that the coastal erosion and accretion in the study area were mainly caused by anthropogenic and natural factors, which altered the coastal environment.

The Role of Religious Rituals in Fishing Community: A Study of Irakkam Fishermen in Pulicat Lake

This article focuses on the religious rituals associated with fishing and the processes that are in vogue in the fishermen community of Pulicat Lake. The role of the rituals in the contemporary socioeconomic context of the fishermen community is analyzed by applying functionalistic approach. The data were collected from the fishermen of Irakkam Island in Tada mandal of Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh state, by employing the qualitative techniques such as in-depth interview, observation, and focus group discussions. It is found that fishermen perform varieties of rituals such as annual worshipping of ancestral spirits, ritual of launching of new boat, worshipping of clan deities at clan level, and communal worship at village level. All these rituals are considerably functional in fulfilling the psychological needs of individuals and social needs of the community at the household, clan, and community levels. The psychological prop and social cohesion are found to be the most essential features of fishermen community to cope up with the social, economic, and environmental challenges, and these rituals function as instruments to instill psychological strength and social solidarity.