Plastic nurdle spill threatens 'Malabar' upwelling region
The sinking of the Liberian-flagged MSC ELSA 3 off the Kochi coast in Kerala on May 25, has triggered an environmental crisis along the Kerala and Tamil Nadu coast because it spilled plastic nurdles—tiny pellets used in plastic manufacturing—into one of the world's richest 'Malabar' upwelling regions. Upwelling brings deep, cold water to the surface, propelled as they are by strong ocean currents and the rotation of the Earth.
There are five major upwelling regions determined by seasonal ocean current upwelling systems — the Canary, Benguela, California, Peru and Malabar. The Malabar Upwelling Region (MUR) stretches from Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to Kanyakumari in Tamil Nadu. Although these regions form less than 1% of world's oceans, they contribute to more than 25% of fish catch. Each support a rich ecosystem and commercially important fisheries. These large marine ecosystems are increasingly under threat from over-exploitation, pollution and habitat modifications.
The Kochi plastic nurdle spill falls bang in the middle of MUR. Carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials, the shipwreck scattered nurdles onto beaches from Thiruvananthapuram to Kanniyakumari, threatening one of India's most biodiverse marine ecosystems. This marks the first major nurdle spill in India caused by a shipwreck, raising urgent concerns about ecological and economic repercussions.
Experts say the spill occurred as the upwelling system was taking shape where monsoon-driven winds lift nutrient-rich deep waters to the surface. This process fuels plankton blooms, sustaining nearly 50% of India's marine fish landings, including small pelagic species like Indian Mackerel (accounting for 30% of marine landings, with India producing 90% of the global supply, 77% from the west coast) and oil sardines. The region's high productivity, driven by sea surface temperature, salinity, and mixed layer depth, supports a complex food web, linking plankton to larger predatory fish and providing livelihoods for lakhs of fishermen. The spill's timing during the monsoon upwelling period, when productivity peaks, heightens the risk of disrupting this delicate ecosystem.
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