Tamil Nadu - Tuticorin   

Mass death of fish, owing to flow of sewage: study

Tuticorin: The results of a study jointly conducted by the Fisheries College and Research Institute and the Directorate of Fisheries Extension of Tamil Nadu Veterinary and Animal Sciences Department has attributed mass mortality of fish on Karapad Bay here last week to heavy flow of freshwater carrying sewage into the area.

J.D. Jameson, Director, DFE, told The Hindu that on Wednesday the freshwater flow into the Bay in large quantities owing to rain lowered the salinity levels from about 33 ppt (parts per thousand) by about 6 ppt giving extreme shock to the fish species.

According to him, low salinity caused a drop in pH value from the normal 8.3 to 8.2 and fish underwent osmotic stress owing to difference in salt content in the blood.

The sewage waste which entered the bay at the same time aggravated the situation by causing severe depletion in the oxygen levels.

Dr Jameson said that the levels of ammonia in the water samples collected from the region was computed at 0.48 micro grams per litre, which was within tolerable limits.

However, another study conducted by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute attributed the mass mortality of fish at the Karapad Bay here on February 14 to high amount of ammonia concentration in water.

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