Marine biologists discuss ways to preserve Mumbai's marine organisms

Wouldnt it be wonderful if we could plan our next snorkelling session somewhere along the coast of Mumbai But does the city have the potential to offer us sightings of diverse marine ecosystems This World Reef Awareness Day we try to understand the cityrsquos propensity for developing coral reefs along its shores facts about the coral species it boasts of and the efforts that can be taken to preserve marine organismsMole crabCitybased marine biologist Harshal Karve shares ldquoI have been studying the corals in Mumbairsquos intertidal zones and along its coastline Itrsquos important to know that only particular species of corals possess the capacity to develop a reef While reefbuilding coral species have been found in parts of the city it is difficult to ascertain the presence of a reef because the water here is turbid There is almost zero visibility for scuba divers to go in and checkrdquo Power of a communityKarve admits that another way of testing for its presence is remote sensing but that has not yet been carried out As per the entries of biologist Dr Boman Framji Chhapgar the evidence of reefs is anecdotal The biologist talks about the presence of reefbuilding corals in Navy Nagar in Colaba Haji Ali and Dana Pani beach ErangalA shorewalk on Erangal BeachldquoWhile the right to information can bear fruits research regarding the presence of corals should be guided by a holistic idea of its outcome If the information is used to develop underwater projects then such studies should probably not be encouraged But if it is used to formulate policies for its protection then itrsquos always a welcome changerdquo Karve notesShaunak Modi and Harshal KarveAbout the role of individuals in conservation Shaunak Modi founder Marine Life of Mumbai MLOM points out ldquoIf we want to preserve corals the first thing we can collectively do is to ensure that the ecosystems which they are part of continue to thrive Infrastructure projects are a big threat in Mumbai Citizens should engage with the ecosystem A walk by the sea doesnrsquot require any special permitrdquo Sejal Mehta consultant editor MLOM notes that knowledge is extremely powerful and one should interact with science and scientists to gain knowledgeFrom left Burnt cup coral flowerpot corals and a ragged sea hare after it had moved into a cosy little tidepool in Mumbai Pics CourtesyShaunak Modi Pradip PatadeLog on to marinelifeofmumbai on Instagram for details about their upcoming walkThe Mumbai reef fact file1 In recent times we spotted snail eggs amidst a garbage patch near Juhu Koliwada Jetty The beadlike eggs were seen on plastic bags which means the snail species is treating plastic as a natural substrate2 On one of his walks a day before the lockdown the biologist chanced upon a honeycomb moray eel above along the Mahalaxmi shoreline One wouldnrsquot expect to spot the fish in Mumbai given that as a species associated with coral reefs they need a certain quality of water to survive This year Patil spotted the fish along the Bandra shoreline3 Mumbairsquos northern beaches havenrsquot really been explored And during a public walk the Erangal beach mdash close to Malad mdash was seen to have the same reefbuilding corals that are found in Haji Ali4 During the same walk participants caught sight of a mole crab There were no records of mole crabs from Mumbai for a long time The last sighting was documented in the 1960s5 A flowerpot coral called Bernardpora can be found at Marine Drive The species multiplies in numbers amidst siltBy Gaurav Patil marine biologist and marine walk curator