Seagrass Nourish the Nearshores!!!

Hunderds of tons of seagrasses washed ashore on the coast of northern Palk Bay. It forms a thick mat of plants on the

shore. Tourists often thought to see the decayed seagrass mate as the polluted coast as it released sulphur di oxide along with black mud. It is actually a process of enriching the nutrients in beach.

These underwater submerged plants are uprooted by natural water agitation and by the fishing trawlers that scrap the shallow sea floors. Dense mats of decayed seagrasses symbolize the level disturbance and changing seasons and its infleunce on sea.

You can see a large school of migratory fishes that attracted close to the shore of northern Palk Bay coast. They are all attracted by the flourishing phytoplanktons that uptake nutrients from the nearshore waters (deposited by seagrasses and river inputs). Hence, you can get good quanity of fishes in monsoon.

Not a good fishing Day!

- says a catamaran fisher in Velivayal

It took about half an hour to ride his catamaran from the fishing point to the shore. It was not a good supportive pole to move the sliding catamaran on the peaceful morning. He was alone. I waited on the shore to see his fishes that not ended in good results. I could observe that the fishing net and his life were roled on the middle of the catamaran. Both of them have not seen enough fishes in the last months. Yes, I realize that all of us are waiting for monsoon. This fisher and the former who I met yesterday are waiting for the first drops of northeast monsoon. It will blossom the whole life of my region every year. Anyway, he has to keep his hope and net for tomorrow.

Vinca roseus (exotic plant) in Velivayal village