Nearly 300 artificial reefs will be deployed in Palk Bay later this month to protect the coast from rough waves and become home to commercially important fish species in less than a year. The 60-lakh project, funded by the UNDP and executed by Chennai-based NGO Participatory Learning Action Network and Training (PLANT Trust), will ensure livelihood for fishermen in eight coastal villages near Rameshwaram.
John Suresh of PLANT Trust said the reefs made of sand, blue metal, cement, and steel will be deployed at six metres depth nearly six km from the coast off eight villages: Erakadu, Karaiyur, Kudiyiruppu, Mangadu, Olaikuda, Serankottai, Vadakadu, and Sembai. They will be in triangle and circular shapes to attract different fish species such as grouper, snapper, horse mackerel, and barracuda, besides algae, seaweed, and soft and hard corals. “Our deployment will be between June 15-20. The incubation period is six to nine months. In less than a year, we can see some biodiversity,” he said.
Palk Bay is a protected area with a sensitive ecosystem such as coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangroves with rich biodiversity. Experts said the area where the reefs would be submerged has nearly 25 species of fish.
Experts said bacterial biofilms form on the artificial reefs around six months after they are submerged. Slowly, algae, seaweeds, barnacles, sponges, hard and soft corals, and others settle, after which the reefs become a habitat for fish and vertebrates. Microfauna such as copepods, polychaetes, and cladocerans also increase. They will continuously breed in the artificial reef site, which forms the basic food for the fish .
“Coral reefs globally cover less than 1% of the ocean floor but are home to almost 25% of all marine life. They provide food and livelihoods for coastal communities and protect them from natural disasters such as tsunamis. UNDP continues to work with the government, conservation organisations, and local communities to restore and protect India’s rich marine biodiversity,” said Mariyam Nazra, resident representative, UNDP India.
Suresh said UNDP had funded projects to deploy 100 to 250 artificial reefs at 14 to 16 metres depth eight to nine km off the coast of Cuddalore district and Chennai fishing harbour a few years ago. Underwater surveys in these two locations showed the reefs have become home to more than 50 tonnes of marine species. A similar project funded by Madras Atomic Power Station was also implemented off the Mamallapuram and Kalpakkam coasts.