Studies on some Biological Parameters of Coastal Waters around Coral Reefs of Andaman Islands, India

The status of Andaman waters around Coral reef Island involving study of six stations for biological parameters viz. phytoplankton for species composition, density, pigment, their productivity, biomass and total bacterial count in the surface and sediment water were investigated for pre-monsoon and post-monsoon seasons. Post-monsoon data shows dominance of phytoplankton counts over pre-monsoon study. Diatoms were more common than flagellates and dinoflagellates. Phaeophytin values were consistently higher than chlorophyll, these indicate abundance of detritus and degraded chlorophyll in water. The highest number of heterotropic bacteria counts were recorded in nutrient agar (N.A) medium for both season. There were also higher counts of coliform and pathogenic bacteria for post-monsoon season at one station-HAV-IV. Sediment samples from pre monsoon shows higher counts of pathogenic bacteria at most season, whereas, in post-monsoon sediment, samples show general absence of these organism. It may be due to untreated effluents and other discharges. The overall study suggests a trend towards unproductive status of water quality around coral reef island which may be due to improper management of biological system.