Latest news with #SDMRI
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- General
- New Indian Express
Discarded fishing gear major cause of marine debris in 13 TN districts
During the study, the experts collected 6132 marine debris weighing 201 kg from the 1040-meter surveyed shoreline with 20 m per village in 13 districts. Pudukottai recorded the highest litter concentration with 2.68 items/m2, followed by Villupuram. Also, recreational activities in the beaches accounted for debris of bottle caps (25%), food wrappers (19%), and plastic bags (12%) besides, non-plastic litters like paper, cardboard, and glass bottles, says the study by experts of Suganthi Devadason Marine Research Institute (SDMRI), Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) and Fishing Technology and Operations Team (NFIFO) of Italy. Speaking to TNIE, JKP Edward, the corresponding author of the study, said the survey indicates litter concentration is proportional to the fishing-related activities in the beaches. Claiming that commercial fishing is a major source of debris in coastal areas, he attributed the accumulation of debris to the accidental loss of gear and improper disposal practices. Also fishing net cuttings, which are discarded improperly, contribute further to the pollution. These plastic debris break down into microplastics over a period of time and exacerbate marine pollution, he said. Speaking to TNIE, Supriya Sahu, Additional Chief Secretary for Environment Climate Change & Forests, said that a pilot Discarded Fishnet Collection Centre was established at Kasimedu Fishing Harbour in Chennai in August 2024. Over 18.5 tonnes of marine litter and other ALDFG were collected until May, 2025 and Rs 7.21 lakh incentive was given to fishermen. The collected materials would have otherwise ended up in the ocean, she said. There are plans to establish 14 additional fishnet collection centres in all coastal districts to further scale up the collection and recycling of discarded fishing nets, Sahu added.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Health
- Time of India
NCCR joins pollution watch on south TN coast after ship sinks off Kerala
Chennai: More than a week after a Liberia-flagged vessel sank off the Kerala coast, spilling plastic nurdles into the sea, pollution studies began along the southern Tamil Nadu coast. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now A team from the national centre for coastal research (NCCR) was stationed in Kanyakumari to collect beach and coastal water samples to assess the potential impact of the spill. "It will be a recurring survey. Our team started collecting samples in Kanyakumari and may extend the collection up to Kudankulam. This will serve as baseline data to assess whether the accident affected our coast," said R S Kankara, director, NCCR. "This report will serve as a supplement to the Tamil Nadu govt's ongoing assessment efforts," he added. The collected data will be compared with time-series data from NCCR's routine coastal monitoring programme. NCCR researchers routinely monitor seawater quality under the Seawater Quality Monitoring Programme, collecting physical, chemical, and biological samples from 50 locations across the country, including seven along the TN coast. On May 25, the container vessel MSL ELSA 3 sank about 38 nautical miles (about 70 km) off the Kerala coast, between Vizhinjam and Kochi. The ship was carrying 640 containers, including 13 with hazardous materials such as calcium carbide, along with 84.44 tonnes of diesel and 367.1 tonnes of furnace oil. In the days following the accident, plastic nurdles from the ship began washing up along the Kerala coast and drifting towards Tamil Nadu. Tuticorin-based NGO Suganthi Devadasan Marine Research Institute (SDMRI) is also carrying out a comprehensive pollution study across 20 locations, starting from Neerody, a village near Tamil Nadu's southernmost tip.
