Study on Biofouling Organisms Present on the Surface of Boats in Royapuram, Chennai

Biofouling is a natural process of colonization of organisms on submerged surfaces, either living or artificial, by a wide range of microorganisms, plants, algae and animals. Biofilms on artificial structures create serious problems for industries worldwide, with effects such as increase in drag force and metal corrosion as well as reduction in heat transfer efficiency. For antifouling or preventing the attachment of fouling organisms, a knowledge of the microbial composition is of considerable importance. In the present study, biofouling samples were collected bimonthly from the boats docked at the Royapuram harbour, which is situated in northern Chennai. Culturable marine bacteria were isolated on Zobell's marine agar medium and identified by biochemical methods. The bacteria most frequently isolated were Bacillus spp., Vibrio spp., Pseudomonas spp., Micrococcus luteus, Proteus mirabilis and Shigella spp. The macrofouling community is dominated by barnacles, Mytilus spp.; green mussel, Perna viridis; polychaetes and other tubeworms. An analysis revealed that most of the marine bacteria are of anthropogenic origin. The stone crab Menippe mercenaria is reported as a macrofouler for the first time.