Tides of loss: Oceans grow empty as marine life fades

Hubballi: Like his ancestors, Rathnakar Tandel, a fisher from Karwar, stands at the mouth of River Kali during Noolu Hunnime (a full moon day in August) each year to offer coconut and a sacred thread to the sea. After the annual deep fishing ban is lifted that day, he prays to the sea gods for a bountiful catch, the safety of the fishing community and calm seas.

Of late, he feels as though his prayers are going unheard. “Even after the rainy season, the sea remains disturbed for several months,” he says.

He is also unhappy with the catch that traditional fishing communities get, even after the two-month annual ban on deep-fishing. The ban intends to facilitate fish breeding.

“There were limited large-scale deep fishers then. Two decades ago, every expedition in my Rampani boat (a traditional fishing boat with 40-50 fishers rowing) in the shallow waters would have fetched me at least Rs 4 to Rs 5 lakh. Today, despite heavy mechanised boats being deployed, every venture into the sea only fetches between Rs 1 and Rs 2 lakh,” says Tandel. 

Pradip Panda, a Kolkata-based marine researcher, says anthropocentric activities are not just impacting marine life but entire ecologies, including mangrove, coral reef and intertidal habitats. “Industrial waste and untreated sewage being discharged into the sea through Hooghly river is adversely impacting the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangroves,” he laments.

Mangroves are considered an important ecosystem as they are host to both marine and freshwater animals.

“A deficit in the supply of fresh water to the sea is increasing salinity in the Sundarban mangroves, affecting the life cycle of several fish and crabs. Hilsa fish, a staple in the region, is disappearing from the plates of local communities. These fish are moving southwards,” he says.  

Even trawlers have witnessed a decline in the production of fish like Indian oil sardine and Hilsa, which until recent years, were found abundantly in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal.

Data from the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), Kochi also shows a decline of nearly 6,000 tonnes in the oil sardine catch in 2023, when compared to the previous year.

CMFRI scientist Shobhana K S explains that such a decline could be attributed to overfishing and catching of juvenile fishes.

This is one of many visible impacts of human activity. The consequences of damage to marine ecology are not just felt by local fishermen across the country’s 7,516.6 km coastline, but also by farmers in the hinterlands, due to disturbed southwest and northeast monsoons.

“Oceans regulate our climate.  We are witnessing an increase in supercyclones, unseasonal rain in unexpected places and other natural disasters as oceans are warming up. We can expect more such occurrences if oceans continue to become warmer,” explains Divya Karnad, a marine conservationist and associate professor at Ashoka University.

Oceans are major absorbers of global carbonate depositions, and nearly 24 million people are directly or indirectly dependent on the marine economy, according to government data. 

Yet, there is little care being given to our marine ecosystems, which comprise coral reefs, estuaries, intertidal zones, mud flats, mangroves, the ocean surface, salt marshes, lagoons, and the sea floor.

As per the Global Nature Conservation Index, released this October, India was among the five worst performers out of 180 countries. Its low score owed largely to weak action in marine conservation. Though 7.5% of the country’s terrestrial area is protected, only  0.2% of India’s waters are protected.

Though many experts feel that the report has flaws in its evaluation of conservation efforts, they are united in acknowledging that marine conservation is largely lacking in the country. 

Biodiverse

The geographical location of India, between the tropics of Cancer and Capricorn, means that the region has enormous biological diversity. According to government data, saline waters in the peninsular area and around the 1,382 islands of the country are home to nearly 12% of the world’s fish populations.

There are more than 844 species of marine algae (seaweed), 14 species of seagrass and 69 species of mangroves, according to a 2012 Indira Gandhi National Forestry Academy report.

In terms of faunal diversity, the seas around India have 451 species of sponges, more than 200 species of corals, 2,900 plus species of crustaceans, 3,370 species of marine molluscs, more than 200 species of bryozoans, 765 species of echinoderms, 47 species of tunicates, over 1,300 marine fishes, 26 species of sea snakes, 5 species of sea turtles and 30 species of marine mammals including dugong, dolphins and whales.

“Oceans are the planet’s greatest carbon sink. They absorb excess heat, carbon and greenhouse gasses generated on land. However, they are reaching their threshold for absorption. A warmer sea means that our icebergs are melting, sea levels are rising, marine heatwaves are increasing and oceans are becoming acidified,” says marine biologist V N Nayak.

“Several species of fishes have started moving towards poles in search of cooler waters, while coral reefs, which are sensitive to high temperatures, are getting bleached,” he says.

Coral reefs, which can be compared to tropical evergreen forests of land, have high populations of aquatic creatures. A study by the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation also points out that more than half the world’s marine species may be on the brink of extinction by 2100. With a 1.1°C recorded increase in global temperatures today, an estimated 60% of the world's marine ecosystems have already degraded.

Activity on land 

This apart,  industrialisation, urbanisation, plastic pollution, oil spills and unregulated or exploitative fishing are having a telling impact on our natural aquatic ecosystem.

The Olive Ridley sea turtles, one of five critically endangered sea turtles in the Indian Ocean, spend most of their lives in ocean waters. Between December and March, during the breeding season, many turtles make their way to the coasts of Honnavar beach to lay eggs. However, today,  they face uncertainty as the Honnavar coast is being developed into a port.

An asphalted road is in the process of development beside these nesting grounds. In the years to come, the area will bustle with heavy vehicles, transporting coal and chemicals to large ships from across the world.

Rajesh Tandel, a fisherman leader, has been fighting a losing battle to protect this nesting site. “We worship turtles as Lord Vishnu’s incarnation. Hunting them or harming the nests or eggs is forbidden. However, due to development activities and deep sea fishing, the critically endangered turtles are dying,” he says. 

Last year, other worrying signs of a suffering marine ecosystem appeared. At least 13 sea turtles, three Baleen whales and a dolphin were found to have beached onto the Honnavar coastline. Tandel believes all of them died after being hit by the propellers of large ships.

Studies conducted by the CMFRI, Kochi and other government marine research institutes confirm that over 80% of marine pollution comes from land-based activities.

As per 2023 data by the government, nearly 8,000 industries directly or indirectly release 390 million tonnes of effluents annually into Indian coastal waters. The density of industries dumping effluents into the sea is higher in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh. This apart, the country also has 199 ports, including 12 major ports that handle approximately 1,400 million tonnes of cargo each year.

“Discharge of nutrient-laden sewage near the shore is resulting in eutrophication, a process of saline water getting enriched with nutrients and leading to excess growth of algae and plankton. This deteriorates the water quality and leads to the depletion of dissolved oxygen in water bodies,” says Divya. She adds that these areas become dead zones with little marine life.

According to Anupam Vikram Joshi, founder and managing director of a global water solution company, “Our oceans will have more plastic than fish by 2050 as nearly 60% of all marine trash that enters the oceans is plastic.” 

Sharks, whales, stingrays, Hilsa fish, sardines, kingfish, crabs, croakers, catfish, and lobsters are some of the many overfished species. “Illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing is resulting in depletion of a majority of varieties of fish in the sea,” says Bineesh K K, a scientist at the Marine Biology Research Centre, Chennai. 

The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, has identified a majority of aquatic life as Schedule 1 species, providing them with the highest protection. On paper, India, in order to conserve marine species, has notified 31 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) across nine coastal states, four union territories and islands. It has also identified and prioritised 106 coastal and marine sites as Important Coastal and Marine Biodiversity Areas (ICMBAs). However, fishing communities and experts say the government is unable to prevent the degradation of marine ecosystems due to limited human resources.

“The field of ecological research is still growing in India because researchers working on marine species, like the Olive Ridley turtles, need long-term access to marine protected areas as there are data fluctuations annually,” says a conservationist, requesting anonymity.

She says India has the required rules and regulations to protect its marine life. However, the country is failing in its implementation of the safeguards by the concerned departments, which lack human and financial resources.

“We are not involving the local fishing communities, who could be the government's eyes and ears on the ground in conservation activities,” she says. She also highlighted the importance of continuous learning for forest department officials in the conservation of marine ecology. 

She also emphasises that marine conservation may have to look completely different from terrestrial protection, as these models do not translate.

As per marine scientist and conservationist Annie Kurian, “Although we have 31 MPAs, our efforts are limited by inadequate governance, community involvement, and insufficient funding.” She contrasts this with countries like Bangladesh, which have implemented MPAs effectively.

Experts also point out that declaring MPAs alone will not solve challenges that marine ecosystems are facing. “There is a huge data deficit related to marine ecology. Without scientific information, it is not possible to conserve. There is a high possibility that several ocean habitats and species might have already been lost or on the verge of extinction in India as we are unaware of their presence,” says Srichakra Pranav, founder of the Vishakapatnam-based East Coast Conservation Foundation.

He cites the example of his state, where there is limited information on the presence of coral reefs, intertidal habitats and shore ecosystems on the 975 km-long coastal stretch. “There are more than 80 species of sharks and rays found in seas near the Andhra Pradesh coastal area, of which nearly 30 are endangered. However, very little study is being done on species found on the east coast compared to the west coast of India,” he adds. 

Dedicated units

Experts also pointed out that there is a need for a separate unit for the protection of marine life as the forest department officials are not equipped to handle marine issues. 

In most of the nine coastal states, marine life protection comes under the purview of the forest department. “We are not completely well-versed with marine biology as it is not part of our training. Most of the time when an animal gets stranded or washed to the shore, we are not in a position to rescue the animal,” says a range forest officer, who was earlier posted at Karwar Marine cell. 

Unlike most states where marine protection comes as a subsidiary unit of the forest department, Goa has a dedicated marine unit.

A senior forest officer in Andhra Pradesh says: “We have 975 km of coastal area. Yet there is no separate wing for marine life. Officials have been making all efforts to protect the sea living beings and taking up conservation activities as prescribed by the central government in letter and spirit.” 

Shripad Ananth, a former scientist at the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa, says that there are some marine species that have adapted themselves to the human-made modifications. However, not all species can withstand it and are under threat of perishing.

“Introduction of alien species and climate change are also major triggers. Ballast water, that helps with the steering of the cargo ships, is one of the major introductions of alien species,” he adds.

A report published by CMFRI identifies Mytella strigata, a mussel native to South America, as one of the worst invasive bivalve mollusc species.

The species poses serious threats to native corals and associated diversity and ultimately alters the habitat in an irreparable way, says the report adding that marine invasion harms ecosystem functions, native species and human health, which may also cause huge economic and biodiversity loss.