The first sighting of Longman’s beaked whale, Indopacetus pacificus in the southern Bay of Bengal

Information on at-sea sightings of beaked wholes are rare from the Indian and Sri-Lankan waters because of the relative rarity of vessels working in deep oceans where these species are encountered. A recent survey onboard FORV ‘Sagar Sampada’ brought out the first confirmed sighting of live animals of Longman’s beaked whole. Indopacetus pacificus from the southern Bay of Bengal. The details of the sighting, illustrated with photographs are presented in this note

Vasopressin for the management of catecholamine-resistant anaphylactic shock

Severe anaesthetic anaphylaxis is relatively uncommon. Oxygen, fluids and epinephrine are considered to be the mainstay for treatment of cardiovascular collapse and current guidelines for the management of anaphylaxis list only epinephrine as a vasopressor to use in the event of a cardiovascular collapse. Recently, evidence has emerged in the support of the use of vasopressin in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, it is also recommended for the treatment of ventricular fibrillation, septic shock and post-cardiopulmonary bypass distribution shock. Currently, there is no algorithm or guideline for the management of anaphylaxis that include the use of vasopressin. We report a 24-year-old woman who developed severe anaphylactic shock at induction of anaesthesia while undergoing laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Circulation shock was refractory to epinephrine and high doses of pure alpha-agonist phenylephrine and norepinephrine. Single intravenous dose of two units of vasopressin re-established normal circulation and blood pressure

A note on cetacean distribution in the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas during 2003-07

Relatively little is known about the distribution of cetaceans in Indian seas due to lack of systematic surveys. For collecting data on species distribution, 35 opportunistic surveys were conducted onboard FORV Sagar Sampada between October 2003 and February 2007 in the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas. In 5,254 hours of sighting effort, a total of 473 cetacean records were made with 5,865 individuals. The occurrence of 10 species from three cetacean families was confirmed. The Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphin was the most frequently sighted species, whereas the spinner dolphin was dominant in terms of abundance. Long-beaked common dolphins, Indo-Pacific hump-backed dolphin and sperm whales were also recorded at frequent intervals. Cetaceans were found to have a wide geographical distribution in the Indian EEZ and contiguous seas. High abundance and species richness were recorded in the Southeastern Arabian Sea and southern Sri Lankan waters. From the information collected during the present study, the platform of opportunity has proved to be a useful means for cetacean surve

Record of the rough toothed dolphin Steno bredanensis (G. Cuvier in Lesson, 1828) in Indian seas after 19th century

A specimen of the rare delphinid Steno bredanensis, was washed ashore on 25 August 2008 in Uttara Kannada, south-west coast of India. This report presents the first stranding record of S. bredanensis in Indian waters after more than 100 years as the previous confirmed record was only in 1891. There were a few stranding records of this species in 19th century, but thereafter no single record is available till now. The number of records between the years 1800 and 1900 were only 3. Earlier works from Indian seas depended on conventional taxonomic approaches which led to misidentification of species. Skin samples were collected for genetic analysis and the genes of control region (CR) and cytochrome b (cyt b) of MtDNA were PCR amplified and sequenced. Partial sequences of mtDNA control region and cytochrome b genes were generated and tested with the reference sequences available in GenBank (NCBI) and the web-based program DNA Surveillance, and the specimen was confirmed as Steno bredanensis. Amplification of sex Y chromosome gene SRY confirmed the visual identification of the specimen as a male

कोवलम, तमीलनाडु के तटीय क्षेत्रों में उपलब्ध सुरमई मछली के मत्सयन स्थल का जिओस्पेशियल नक्शा

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

Indian Efforts on the Inventorization of Marine Mammal Species for their Conservation and Management

The present study is the first attempt to use molecular tools for identification of marine mammals in India. The objective was to develop a database of genetic sequences for future marine mammal research in addition to confirming the species identity of cetaceans and dugongs using a molecular approach. Partial sequencing of mitochondrial DNA loci was carried out in accidentally caught/stranded specimens of Spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris), Pantropical spotted dolphin/bridled dolphin (Stenella attenuata), Bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops aduncus), Long-beaked common dolphin (Delphinus capensis), Indopacific humpbacked dolphin (Sousa chinensis), Risso’s dolphin (Grampus griseus), Finless porpoise (Neophocaena phocaenoides), Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus), Blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus), Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) and Dugong (Dugong dugon). Molecular identification of species was done by phylogenetic reconstruction of the sequences using portals GenBank and DNA Surveillance. Apart from ratifying their morphological identification, the analysis was able to distinguish specimens that otherwise, could not have been identified using conventional approaches. Phylogenetic analysis of the Sousa-Stenella-Tursiops-Delphinus group indicated more or less robust monophyly for all species in this complex, except Delphinus capensis. A sister-group relationship for Sperm whales and Baleen whales was evident, that would place the former closer to the latter than to any other group of toothed whales

Stomach contents of cetaceans incidentally caught along Mangalore and Chennai coasts of India

Abstract The stomachs of 32 individuals of seven cetacean species incidentally caught in gill net and purseseine fisheries along Mangalore and Chennai coasts (India) between 2004 and 2006 were examined. The whole stomach (fore-gut, mid-gut and hind-gut) was examined in all cases. Prey remains (666 prey items comprising six species of teleosts, one crustacean and one squid species) were found in the stomachs of eight individuals (the remaining 24 stomachs were found to be empty). All cetaceans were found to feed mostly on teleosts with wide range of trophic levels. Based on an index that included frequency of occurrence, percentage by number and by weight, the oil sardine Sardinella longiceps was the main prey in the sample. Cetaceans appear to favour both pelagic as well as demersal prey, possibly indicating surface and benthic feeding habits

भारतीय वन्य जीव(संरक्षण)अधिनियम के तहत संरक्षित उपास्थिमीन प्रजातियों का विवरण

कृपया पूरा लेखा पढ

Observations on incidental catch of cetaceans in three landing centres along the Indian coast

A short term survey to quantify the number of marine mammals incidentally caught, and interviews to gain perceptions of local fishers towards issues of by-catch, were conducted. A total of 44 cetaceans were recorded as incidental catches at Chennai, Kakinada and Mangalore fishing harbours during 80 days of observation. Six species of dolphins and one species of porpoise were recorded. The spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris was the most frequently caught (38.6%), followed by the finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides (31.8%). Gillnets and purse seines operated from motorised boats accounted for the entire by-catch. It is estimated that 9000–10,000 cetaceans are killed by gillnets every year along the Indian coast. The intricacies and possibilities of reducing cetacean kills by gillnets are discussed in the pape