SEAWEED SURVEY DATABASE OF THE INDIAN COASTS

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY IN OCEANOGRAPHY (ITO-98)

GOA, INDIA 12-16 OCTOBER 1998

SEAWEED SURVEY DATABASE OF THE INDIAN COASTS

S. H. ZAIDI, MAIRH, 0. P. AND GOMKALE, S. D. Central Salt & Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, Gujarat - 364 002, WIA

Latest developments in satellite, computer and multimedia system and its applications have immensely facilitated in accessing, creating and transmitting any DataBase easily across the Globe. Present seaweed survey DataBase is created using DBASE III PLUS software to list quantitative as well as qualitative information of the seaweeds occurring on the most productive Indian coasts. Earlier, a part of the DataBase pertaining to standing stock of the promising agarophytes, alginophytes and carrageenophytes on the Indian coasts have been reported. In the present endeavour, an attempt has been made to provide information on systematic positions of 313 marine algae species into Phyta, Division, Class, Order and Family, based on prevailing system of classification.

Central Salt and Marine Chemicals Research Institute, Bhavnagar, has played a pivotal role in resource assessment of seaweeds occurring on the intertidal zones of Saurashtra (1971 - 75 in 5 sectors), Maharashtra (1976 on 8 stations), Lakshadweep Islands (1977 - 79 in 3 sectors), Andhra Pradesh (1979 - 82 in 3 sectors) and Tamil Nadu Coasts (1971 76 in 5 sectors, deep Sea also upto 22 Mts. depth during 1986 - 91 in 4 sectors), involving other National R & D Institutions as well as State Government Agencies. This DataBase can be used for R & D activities by Universities, Research Institutions, and Seaweed based industries for the collection of economically important seaweeds for production of agar, alginic acid, carrageenan, seaweed fertilizer, for edible purpose and for extraction of drug molecules. It can also be beneficial in economic and societal upliftment of coastal people by involving seaweed industries, state Government agencies and NGO'S.

Further, it can be improved upon by using latest developments in electronics, specially computer and satellite by adding species description along with the live and herbarium display for the taxonomic identification of the individual species on the pattern of Expert Center of Taxonomic Identification (ETI - The Netherlands).

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"to continously improve our understanding of the seas
around us and to translate this knowledge to benefit all"