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Coastal Resource Assessment and Management

Critical Habitats

CRAM research work focuses on the Health Assessment and Ecosystem Restoration of Coral Reefs and Mangroves in India. We are interested in understanding the reef ecology of corals and its associated flora and fauna using morphological, molecular and numerical modelling approach. Ecological studies of reef building corals and its supported biodiversity employ a variety of survey techniques as well as in-situ experiments. Our objective is to apply this research to support coral reef restoration and enhance marine biodiversity through sustainable livelihood training programmes for coastal communities and stakeholders.

Coral Reef Health MonitoringCoral RestorationMangrove MonitoringEstablishment of NCCR Field Research CentreCapacity Building &Training Programme

a. Health Monitoring of Coral Reefs

  • Detail assessment of live coral cover and dead cover of reef building corals have been documented in 21 islands of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay regions.
  • A new coral reef bed has been identified alongChennai coast.
  • Two new distributional report of anthozoans (one sphenopid zoanthid: Palythoa tuberculosa and one scleractinian corals: Pavona explanulata) recorded from Gulf of Mannar.
  • Community structure of scleractinian corals represented 79 species of hard corals belonging to 13 families and 22 genera of coral species, of which family Acroporidae has the maximum representation of coral species (25) followed by family Merulinidae (22).
  • Coral Health Index was prepared for the 21 islands of Gulf of Mannar based on the assessment of live coral cover.


b. Coral Restoration

  • Transplantation of scleractinian corals (Acropora muricata, Acropora hyacinthus, Acropora gemmifera, Montipora digitata and Pocillopora damicornis) was successfully done since 2018 onwards at Gulf of Mannar Marine National park and Palk Bay.
  • Detail assessment of coral growth and average survival rate was documented.
  • Photographic and Videographic evidence of large number of fish assemblage documented from the restoration site with the increased growth of the restored corals.
  • Assessment of Marine Invertebrates in restoration site documented.


c. Capacity Building and Training Programme

  • Two days Biodiversity monitoring training programme (March, 2019) was jointly organized by National Centre for Coastal Research (NCCR), Mandapam Field Office and Mandapam Wildlife Range, Department of Environment and Forest, Tamil Nadu.
  • Seaweed cultivation training programme and supply of seaweed rafts to fisher-folk communities organized in April 2022 to encourage the coastal communities towards sustainable livelihood programme.

  • Koushik S, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2022. Recurrence of Dinoflagellates, Noctiluca scintillans Bloom and Impact on Marine Faunal Communities of Mandapam Coastal Waters in Gulf of Mannar, Southeast Coast of India. Indian Journal of Ecology, 49(3): 894-899.
  • Ramesh CH, Koushik S, Shunmugaraj T. and Murthy M.V.R. 2022. Tracking the origin of polypropylene and polyethylene bags in coral reefs of the Gulf of Mannar. Journal of Marine Biological Association of India. 62(2): 132-135.
  • Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy M V, Satish S. 2022. Report on Death of Dwarf Sperm Whale, Kogia sima (Order: Cetacea: Family: Kogiidae) in Vedalai Shore of Mandapam, Gulf of Mannar. Annual Research & Review in Biology, 37(1), 37-42.
  • Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy M V. 2021. Recent Coral Bleaching Impacts in Reef Ecosystem of Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay, International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Science, 47,179-187. 
  • Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy M V. 2021. New record of Sphenopid Zoanthid species Palythoa tuberculosa (Esper, 1805) from Gulf of Mannar, India. Indian journal of Geo Marine Science, 50(4), 347-350.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2021. Occurrence of a Scyphozoan jellyfish, Pelagia noctiluca (Forskål, 1775) bloom in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Southern India. Indian journal of Geo Marine Science, 50(2), 161-164.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2021. Crustose Coralline Algae (Corallinales: Rhodophyta) diversity in the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park, Southern India. Indian journal of Geo Marine Science 50(3): 241-245.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2021. Massive Blooms of Cyanobacteria Trichodesmium erythraeum and Synechococcus sp. in Mandapam Group of Islands, Southeast Coast of India, Tamil Nadu, Hydrobiological Journal, 57(3): 32-36
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2021. Mass mortality of regular sea urchin Salmacis virgulata L. Agassiz and Desor, 1846 at Dhanushkodi, Southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, Gulf of Mannar, India. Indian journal of Geo Marine Science 50(4): 343-346.
  • Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy M V. 2020. High Sea Surface Temperature induces Local Coral Bleaching in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay regions, South East Coast of India – A Status Report, International Journal of Wildlife and Endangered Species Conservation 03(2): 131-138.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Current Biodiversity of Mandapam Group of Islands in Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Southeast coast of India. Regional Studies in Marine Science. 39,101429.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Exhibition of Bleaching resistance via adaptive bleaching pattern by coral reefs of Gulf of Mannar during massive bleaching event 2019. Journal of Marine Science 02(2): 1-5.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Occurrence of fine scale to massive green tides in coastal waters of Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar regions, southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India. Journal of Marine Biological Association of India. 62(2): 132-135. 
  • Koushik, S., Ramesh, CH., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Assessment on Recovery of Coral Reefs in Palk Bay of India After 2019 Coral Bleaching Events– A Case Report, Environment and Ecology. 38(4): 873-877. 
  • Shanmugaraj T, Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH and Ramana Murthy MV. 2020. Impact of Noctiluca scintillans bloom on coastal fauna of Mandapam region in Gulf of mannar Biosphere Reserve, Southeast Coast of India. International Journal of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, 46(2):135-140.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Seasonal studies on in situ coral transplantation in the Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, Southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India. Ecological Engineering, vol.152, 105884.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Elevated sea surface temperature triggers massive bloom of Protoperidinium pallidum in Tuticorin coastal waters, southeast coast of Tamil Nadu, India, Journal of Marine Biological Association of India. 61(2).109-111.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2020. Documentation of rare coral reef mounds and other geological processes in Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, Southeast coast of India, Tamil Nadu. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research. 11(1C). 36845-36847.
  • Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2020. Photographic evidence on association of sponge dwelling brittle star Ophiactis savignyi with Chocolate sponge Spheciospongia sp. in Gulf of Mannar. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies. 8(1):37-40.
  • Koushik Sadhukhan, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2020. Occurrence of Scleractinian Coral Species Pavona explanulata (Lamarck, 1816) from Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve, India. Journal of Zoological Research. 3(4):15-18.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Impact of toxic cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula and green algae Ulva Reticulata blooms on corals reefs of Gulf of Mannar, India. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research. 10(9A): 34581-34583.
  • Koushik S, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2019. New recruitment of staghorn corals in the Gulf of Mannar – the emergence of a resilient coral reef. Journal of Threatened Taxa. 11(14):14908-14911.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019.Purple-blue pigmentation production as a sign of immune response by bleached corals to avoid stress caused by elevated sea surface temperature. International Journal of Hydrology Research. 4(1): 13-15.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Infestation of colonial ascidians on reef biota of Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere Reserve, Indian Journal of New Biological Reports. 8(3): 187-189.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Opportunistic infestation of boring sponge Cliona sp. on naturally settled Porites lutea on concrete manhole rings in Mandapam region, Tamil Nadu. Journal of Marine Science. 03(03): 1-3.
  • Koushik, S., Ramesh, CH., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Assessment on recruitment density of branching corals Montipora digitata (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) in Talairi Island, Gulf of Mannar. International Journal of Fauna and Biological Studies. 6(4): 38-41.
  • Ramesh CH, Koushik S, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2019. Mortality of sea turtles Chelonia mydas and Lepidochelys olivacea due to entanglement in fishing nets, in Mandapam region. International Journal of Current Research. 11(5): 3660-3662.
  • Ramesh CH, Koushik S, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2019. Baseline Survey on Coral Diseases, Stress Factors and New Threats in Coral Reefs of Gulf of Mannar Marine Biosphere, Research Journal of Marine Science. 1(1): 31-48
  • Ramesh CH, Koushik S, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2019. Occurrence of unusual swarm of soldier crab, Dotilla myctiroides (H. Milne Edwards, 1852) in Gulf of Mannar, Southeast Coast of India. Emergent Life science research. 7(2): 63-66
  • Koushik S, Ramesh CH, Shanmugaraj T and Ramana Murthy MV. 2019. Assessment on recruitment density of branching corals Montipora digitata (Scleractinia: Acroporidae) in Talairi Island, Gulf of Mannar. International Journal of fauna and Biological Studies 6(4): 38-41.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. A red alga Portieria hornemannii (Lyngb.) P.C.Silva (Gigartinales, Rhizophyllidaceae) for use as a source of fragrance ingredient for perfume industry. Indian J. Mar. Sci. (IJMS/MS 4260/18).
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Enhancement of Reef Diversity using Plastic Waste: A novel way to Reduce Plastic Pollution. Biological Forum An International Journal. 11(1): 187-193.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Factors affecting coral reefs in Mandapam Group of Islands in Gulf of Mannar. Journal of Wildlife Research. 7(2): 16-22.  
  • Koushik, S., Ramesh, CH., Shanmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. First distributional report of scleractinian species Favites spinosa (Klunzinger, 1879) from Gulf of Mannar. International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies. 7(2): 56-59.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Infestation of corallivorous gastropod, Drupella cornus (Gastropoda: Muricidae) on corals of Mandapam group of Islands, Gulf of Mannar, India. Journal of Terrestrial and Marine Research, 3(1): 1-3. 
  • Koushik, S., Ramesh, CH., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Photographic evidence of rare gelatinous egg masses of bristle worm (Annelida: Polychaeta) from Mandapam group of Islands. Journal of Experimental Zoology India, 22(1): 571-574.
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. Bioinvasive Seaweed Genus, Turbinaria in Coral Reefs of Gulf of Mannar. Journal of Life Sciences Research, 6(1): 1-4. 
  • Ramesh, CH., Koushik, S., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. A rapid in situ fluorescence census for coral reef monitoring. Regional Studies in marine sciences, 28: 100575.
  • Koushik, S., Ramesh, CH., Shunmugaraj, T. and Murthy, M.V.R. 2019. In situ observation on the mass aggregation of edible sea urchin Stomopneustes variolaris in Shingle Island, Gulf of Mannar. Journal of Life Sciences. 6(1): 5-8

S.No Name Designation Specialization E-mail
1 Dr. T. Shunmugaraj Scientist G & Group Head Marine Ecology, Mariculture raj[at]nccr[dot]gov[dot]in
2 Dr. Koushik Sadhukhan Project Scientist-II Marine Ecology, Zoology sadhukhan[at]nccr[dot]gov[dot]in
3 Ms. Rukmini Shekar Project Scientist-I Marine Ecology rukminis[at]nccr[dot]gov[dot]in

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CORAL REEF HEALTH MONITORING                                         CORAL RESTORATION PROGRAMME 

MANGROVE HEALTH MONITORING STUDIES                           CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING PROGRAMME