Friends of Marine Life documents varieties of sea crabs and marine worms

Thiruvananthapuram: Friends of Marine Life (FOML) has documented 120 varieties of sea crabs, 80 species of marine worms in a survey that was conducted by its divers over the years off the coast of the city.

Around 50 marine habitats were also documented off Thiruvananthapuram coast. Community marine biodiversity online data will be released on Monday (June 8), World Ocean Day. The project is a pioneering effort of community involvement. It will also contain marine species that were not included in the state biodiversity boards registry. The idea is to embellish the biodiversity board’s data with the help of continuous involvement of the fishing community.

The online registry will contain four times more species than the registry created by the biodiversity board. Robert Panipilla of Friends of Marine Life said that the community marine biodiversity online data initiative aims to recognize and document community knowledge of marine biodiversity to strengthen conservation efforts along the coast. The initiative is crucial because divers of FOML and Scuba Cochin have dived many times and have captured striking images of the underwater ecosystem centred around the laterite rocks that slope down into the sea.

He said that little importance is given to this fragile ecosystem that supports life and livelihoods and much of the knowledge about the sea is held by coastal communities. Several species recorded in this register are yet to be scientifically identified because there is a shortage of experts in marine taxonomy and species identification. The register also includes verified scientific information from institutions such as: University of Kerala, department of aquatic biology & fisheries, he added.

The registry will also bridge gaps in biodiversity mapping. Though there are biodiversity management committees in all coastal panchayats, municipalities and corporations, intertidal and marine zones are still not adequately included in biodiversity documentation and conservation efforts. He said that it was during a convention of biodiversity held in Hyderabad in 2021 that the decision to document marine biodiversity was taken. The state govt started the effort through its biodiversity board but could not include many species as there was difficulty in identifying them.