CMFRI identifies 1,275 marine species of flora and fauna as part of an ongoing study of marine diversity along A.P. coast 

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI) – Visakhapatnam identified 1,275 marine species of flora and fauna along the Andhra Pradesh coast between January 24, 2024, and January 23, 2025, as part of a two-year A.P. State Biodiversity Board (APSBB)-funded research project on marine biodiversity. 

Those species belong to 456 genera, 290 families and 98 orders from 14 taxonomic groups and further data collection and field surveys are underway. 

As per the CMFRI report, a total of 74 species fall in the ‘critically endangered’, ‘endangered’, and ‘vulnerable’ categories of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Forty-six are listed in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), and 35 species from four taxonomy groups are protected in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife Protection Amendment Act of 2022. 

According to APSBB Chairman Neelayapalem Vijay Kumar, the objective of the study is to identify key anthropogenic pressures affecting marine biodiversity, such as fisheries bycatch, habitat loss, plastic pollution, ghost gear entanglement and illegal shell trade. 

The CMFRI has selected three sites namely Bhavanapadu (Srikakulam district), Bheemunipatnam (Visakhapatnam) and Antarvedipalem (Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district) for making an assessment of the economic value of the marine / bio resources available in those places. The valuation at Bhavanapadu and Antarvedipalpalem is currently underway. 

Mr. Vijay Kumar told The Hindu that what the CMFRI did was the preparation of a bio-inventory and documentation of coastal and marine biodiversity along the A.P. coast, which enables a prudent use of the ecosystems thereby ensuring sustainability of the precious biological resources. 

A.P. is endowed with rich ecologically critical marine habitats spread along the nearly 1,053 km-long coastline and continental shelf that measures approximately 33,000 sq. km. These habitats include mudflats, sandy beaches, estuaries, creeks, mangroves, marshes, lagoons, sea grass beds, and sandy and rocky beaches, which are a huge repository of marine plants and animals. 

As per the CMFRI findings, finfish represent the highest proportion of richness of species (54%) followed by molluscs (24%). Four species of marine turtles — Olive Ridley, Greens, Hawksbill and Leatherback — were recorded along the coast. One of them has been found to be critically endangered. 

Besides, a total of 16 species of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins, and finless porpoises, were documented, of which toothed whales and dolphins showed the highest diversity with 10 species, and 16 true mangrove species were recorded. 

The study found 23 jellyfish species, which included Rhopilema Nomadica (a jellyfish indigenous to the tropical warm waters of Indian and Pacific Oceans) identified for the first time in Indian waters.