Abstract
In this study, an estuarine fish community index (EFCI) was applied so as to evaluate the ecological quality of Poonthura estuary, a temporarily closed sandbar estuary, located along the south-west coast of India. Specifically, the study examined the impacts of several natural and anthropogenic interventions, (1) a pollution mitigation plan of the confluent rivers draining into the estuary, during the years 2016 and 2017, (2) extreme climatic events in the form of catastrophic floods during 2018–2019, and (3) closure of the largest solid waste disposal plant located near the banks of the rivers that drain the estuary followed by river cleaning and restoration initiatives during 2019–2020. The EFCI could thus be compared at two different time periods (2016–2017 and 2019–2020) to assess the ecological condition of PE. The EFCI was also applied to assess the ecological condition of PE during open, semi-closed, and closed-mouth state events. The estuary is rated as a moderately polluted system, since the threshold value (42) falls well below the maximum score of 100. The increased freshwater flow associated with flooding and the closure of the largest sewage treatment plant could have resulted in increased fish diversity and improvement in ecological quality during the years 2019–2020.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the authorities of the Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies (KUFOS) and Department of Fisheries, Government of Kerala, India for providing financial support for the successful completion of the study. We also thank the local fishers and community members residing along the Poonthura estuary for their immense support during sampling. A. Biju Kumar (Department of Aquatic Biology and Fisheries, University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram) provided valuable suggestions during the preparation of the manuscript. The support of the members of the Department of Fisheries Resource Management, KUFOS is gratefully acknowledged. We also thank all the reviewers of this manuscript for providing valuable comments and suggestions for improving the quality of our paper.
Funding
This study was funded by the Kerala University of fisheries and Ocean Studies, Panangad, Kochi, Kerala, India.
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KB: collection of data, analysis, and preparation of MS
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RR: reviewing and editing
SG: data analysis and interpretation
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Kiranya, B., Sahadevan, P., Raghavan, R. et al. Fish communities reveal the ecological quality of a small, temporarily closed tropical estuary in response to natural and anthropogenic interventions. Mar. Biodivers. 53, 46 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-023-01360-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12526-023-01360-1