The Hindu Business Line : `Tsunami may leave marine species unscathed'

THE killer wave, tsunami, which has taken a heavy toll on human lives, may have no adverse impact on marine species and therefore, fisheries may not be directly hit, according to Mr Premchand, Zonal Director of the Fishery Survey of India.

In an interview here on Wednesday, he said fish and other marine species may not be adversely affected and there were no indications pointing to it.

"This great upheaval in the ocean, ironically, may leave the marine creatures unscathed, though it has caused so much damage on the shore. Therefore, the effect on fisheries may be indirect, as the fishing gear and boats have been damaged in the affected areas.

It will take sometime for fishermen to repair their vessels and gear and get back to fishing,'' he said.

He said the zonal office here is surveying the fisheries resources in West Bengal, Orissa and Andhra Pradesh.

"The south AP coast has been hard-hit by tsunami and the damage has been minimal from Kakinada. Orissa and West Bengal too have escaped its fury,'' he said.

He said the Andaman and Nicobar islands, apart from Tamil Nadu, were badly hit. "The exclusive economic zone area around the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago, comprising 30 per cent of the Indian EEZ, is under exploited. This is a further setback,'' he said.

Mr Premchand said the FSI has 12 vessels at present and two of them would be decommissioned soon and two more monofilament long liners would join the fleet.

The vessels would come from China and they may be deployed, one each, on the east and west coasts, he said.

Currently two vessels were stationed here, he added.

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