Flora and fauna Pulicat Lake

1 flora , fauna

1.1 limnology
1.2 avifauna
1.3 aquatic vegetation

flora , fauna

the lagoon has rich flora , fauna diversity, supports active commercial fisheries , large , varied bird population.

limnology

fishing major occupation in many villages located around lake periphery , on islands. lake has rich fish diversity, marine species, brackish water , few freshwater species. mullets , catfish major brackish water fish, have supported sustenance fishing lake fishermen. lake nursery several species of fish. 2 thirds of settlements in lake area in tamil nadu , balance in andhra pradesh. 12,370 fishermen live on full-time fishery in lake (6,000 in andhra pradesh , 6,370 in tamil nadu).

an average 1200 tonnes of fish , crustaceans harvested annually, of prawns constitute 60%, followed mullets. seafood exports of white , tiger prawns, jellyfish, finfish , live lagoon green crabs economic benefits lagoon. 168 total fish species reported. found ones mullets: m. cunnesius, m. jerdoni, m. dussumieri, m. cephalus, m. bornensis , blowfish t. nigropunctatus, t. leopardus, barbus dorsalis, catfish macrones vittatus, sardines, sardinella fimbriata , milk fish. finfish, green crabs, clams , prawns commercially exploited fishes of lagoon. endangered green sea turtles found on beaches of sriharikota beach. apart prawns, salt produced lagoon.

avifauna

spot-billed pelican @ pulicat lake

the shallow lake known diversity of aquatic birds , important stopover on migration routes , reported third important wetland on eastern coast of india migratory shorebirds, particularly during spring , autumn migration seasons. in view of rich avifauna of lagoon, 2 bird sanctuaries established in lagoon, 1 in each of 2 states of andhra pradesh , tamil nadu. andhra pradesh portion of pulicat lake bird sanctuary, established in september 1976, has area of 172 square kilometres (66 sq mi) within lagoon’s total area in state in tada taluk of nellore district. wildlife division of state has listed 115 species of water , land birds in sanctuary. nelapattu bird sanctuary located nearby in catchment area. tamil nadu part of lagoon of 60 square kilometres (23 sq mi) area, extending on ponneri , gummidipundi taluks of thiruvallur district declared bird sanctuary in october 1980.

every year approximately 15,000 greater flamingos reported visit lake along pelicans, kingfishers, herons, painted storks, spoonbills , ducks. highest concentrations of flamingo found in periphery of lagoon water level below40 centimetres (16 in). concentrations of flamingos associated high algal, fish , benthic diversity. other water birds in area include spot-billed pelican, 7 species of herons , egrets, painted stork, greater flamingos, ducks, 20 species of shorebirds, gulls, terns, little grebe, indian cormorant, little cormorant, asian openbill stork, black-headed ibis, eurasian spoonbill, lesser whistling teal, spotbill duck, great thick-knee , stone curlew. several species of wintering waterfowl have been noted including bar-headed goose, ruddy shelduck, eurasian wigeon, common teal, northern pintail, garganey, northern shoveller, common pochard, brown-headed gull, black-headed gull, whiskered tern, gull-billed tern , caspian tern. birds of prey appear in winter the: white-bellied sea eagle, harriers , peregrine falcons. largest concentrations of flamingos occur in andhra pradesh part of sanctuary, around islands of vendadu , irukkam.

aquatic vegetation

aquatic vegetation reported 59 species, including 8 cyanophyceae, 7 chlorphyceae , two

rhodophyceae. patches of residual, dry, evergreen forest , large areas of littoral scrub in woodlands in fishing villages bordering lagoon seen. invasive phytoplankton species of prosopis juliflora, spirulina major, oscillatoria spp., anabaena spp., rhizosolenia castracanei, eucampia cornuta , climacodium frauenfeldianum in plains on periphery of lake have been recorded.