CMFRI Documents 1,275 Marine Species in Andhra Pradesh Diversity Study

Fast Summary

• Marine Species Inventory: The CMFRI, Visakhapatnam, identified 1,275 marine species along the Andhra pradesh coast between January 2024 and January 2025 under a research project funded by APSBB.
• Taxonomic Diversity: These species represent 456 genera, 290 families, and 98 orders across 14 taxonomic groups. Field surveys for further data collection are ongoing.
• Environmental Concerns: Of the identified species:

– A total of 74 are classified as ‘critically endangered,’ ‘endangered,’ or ‘vulnerable’ (IUCN).
– Forty-six are listed under CITES protection guidelines.
– Thirty-five Schedule I-protected species were noted under India’s Wildlife Protection Amendment Act (2022).

• Study Focus: Research targets anthropogenic threats such as habitat loss, plastic pollution, fisheries bycatch, ghost gear entanglement, and illegal shell trade.
• Site Evaluation: economic assessments of marine resources were initiated at Bhavanapadu (Srikakulam district) and Antarvedipalem (Konaseema district), with Bheemunipatnam also identified for study.
• Key Findings:

– Finfish constitute the largest biodiversity segment (~54%), followed by molluscs (~24%).
– Four marine turtle species were recorded; one is critically endangered.
– Twenty-three jellyfish types documented include Rhopilema Nomadica, reported in Indian waters for the first time.
– Marine mammals noted include toothed whales and dolphins with high diversity across a total of sixteen mammal types. Sixteen true mangrove plant species were also recorded.

Images Included:

1. Workers collecting prawns in West Godavari district (1200/07GNRAO-CRAB-01%202.jpeg”>photo credit: G.N. Rao).

indian Opinion Analysis

The findings reflect Andhra Pradesh’s remarkable coastal biodiversity but underline vulnerabilities linked to human activity such as overfishing practices and pollution impacts like plastic waste accumulation. With meaningful portions of these marine ecosystems critically endangered or legally protected under international conventions like IUCN/CITES guidelines or India’s Wildlife Protection amendment Act, lasting interventions become key to preventing irreversible damage.

APSBB’s investment into bio-inventory documentation by CMFRI highlights proactive planning toward conservation goals while offering pragmatic economic valuation studies that may encourage community participation via ecosystem services models-emphasizing local stewardship alongside resource utilization.

Strikingly unique discoveries like Rhopilema Nomadica jellyfish further demonstrate India’s potential scientific contribution to global ecological research frameworks amid rising concerns about climate impacts on coastal ecosystems globally.

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