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The ever-growing impacts of climate change such as extreme heat, more frequent heavy precipitation events, intensifying tropical revolving storms, and sea level rise continue to pose major threats to India's critical maritime infrastructure. As the country moves towards its ambition of becoming a leading Blue Economy of the world, a wide range of initiatives have been taken by the central and state governments to expand the maritime sector with a specific focus on the transport sector. However, there is little emphasis being paid on protecting the existing and planned seaport infrastructure against the deleterious impacts of climate change. None of the major ports in India have a dedicated climate action strategy and climate adaptation finds no mention in the policy documents pertaining to the maritime transport sector. In this context, this paper aims to highlight the need for a comprehensive, holistic and dynamic climate change adaptation strategy for India's port infrastructure including support infrastructure and supply chains. The adaptation strategy, at the individual ports' level and the national level, must be preceded by rigorous risk assessment studies to identify and prioritise the major challenges arising from climate change at the local level. The paper draws upon international best practices in climate risk assessments and adaptation measures to provide a way forward for Indian ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper attempts to study the effective role of total shipping performance in overall growth of the overseas traffic performance at major ports of India during the period 1999-2000 to 2008-09, against the backdrop of liberalisation and globalisation of Indian economy, thus focusing on how far the growth of the total shipping performance is responsive to growth of overseas cargo traffic performance at these ports, in compliance with the policy measures. So, this paper ends up with the scenario of both the actual and expected performances, focusing on the strengthening of effective policy planning, drawing attention to the roles of various policy practitioners in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The Government of India announced its liberalization policy in the year 1991. Since then, the major ports in India introduced privatization in various forms into their operations. However, the share of total traffic (cargo) handled by major ports fell from 90 per cent in 1991 to around 70 per cent in 2015, losing share to minor ports. These major ports, except for the port of Kamarajar, are governed by the Major Port Trust Act, 1961. None of the Indian ports feature amongst the top 20 ports of the world. Interestingly, several ports in Asia, namely, seven ports from China, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia are on that list. Several studies and reports have shown that privatization in India did not yield the desired results. Ports in India have adopted a hybrid mode of governance, aligned between a landlord port model and a service port model. This paper aims to address the question – What is the optimal way to mix privatisation and government control in the operations of major ports of India.Design/methodology/approach In this paper, the authors attempt to develop an optimization model for port planners to decide on the optimum mix of privatized and self-managed operations so as to maintain efficiency and maximize revenue.Findings The model tested on a major port in the country shows that the present privatization policy followed by the port needs revision. A similar plan to revise their policies can be carried out for other major ports in the country.Originality/value The model is generic and can be used by any port in the world operating under conditions similar to those in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Impacts of COVID-19 in maritime transportation and its related policy measures have been investigated by more and more organizations and researchers across the world. This paper aims to examine the impacts of COVID-19 on seaport transportation and the maritime supply chain field and its related issues in India. Secondary data are used to analyze the performance indicators of major seaports in India before and during the COVID-19 crisis. We further explore and discuss the expert's views about the impact, preparedness, response, and recovery aspects for the maritime-related sector in India. The results on the quantitative performance of Indian major seaports during the COVID-19 indicate a negative growth in the cargo traffic and a decrease in the number of vessel traffic compared to pre-COVID-19. The expert survey results suggest a lack of preparedness for COVID-19 and the need for developing future strategies by maritime organizations. The overall findings of the study shall assist in formulating maritime strategies by enhancing supply chain resilience and sustainable business recovery process while preparing for a post-COVID-19 crisis. The study also notes that the Covid-19 crisis is still an ongoing concern, as the government, maritime organizations, and stakeholders face towards providing vaccine and remedial treatment to infected people. Further, this study can be expanded to the global maritime supply chain business context and to conduct interdisciplinary research in marine technical fields and maritime environment to measure the impact of COVID-19. • With the outbreak of COVID-19, maritime industry accounting to 90% of the international trade has been impacted. • The major seaports of India handle about 60% of the country's total cargo traffic. • This paper examines implications of COVID-19 on Indian major ports by identifying patterns for quantitative performance data before & during the COVID-19 crisis. • This study explores & discusses expert's views about impact, preparedness, response, and recovery aspects for the maritime-related sector in India. • The results for quantitative performance data for major seaports in India indicate negative growth in during COVID-19 compared to pre COVID-19 period. • The expert survey result suggests a negative impact of COVID-19, and there is a need to develop future strategies by maritime organizations. • The overall findings of the study assist in formulating maritime strategies by enhancing supply chain resilience and sustainable business recovery process while preparing for a post-COVID-19 crisis in Indian maritime Context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of characterizing site-specific free-field surface motion of facilities of national and worldwide economic influence [like ports and nuclear power plants (NPPs)] is well-realized, especially in Mumbai, the most important commercial city in India, with 40% of its land reclaimed from the Arabian Sea. In the research reported in this paper, site-specific seismic hazard and one-dimensional (1D) equivalent linear ground response analysis (GRA) of important sites in Mumbai [Jawaharlal Nehru Port (JNPT), Mumbai Port, Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), and Tarapur Atomic Power Station (TAPS)] are attempted. The seismicity of the research region is modeled through delineation of 31 fault sources with an earthquake database of the past 418 years (years 1594-2012). The epistemic uncertainty in hazard estimation is accounted by employing seven different ground motion prediction equations developed for worldwide shallow crustal intraplate environments. The probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) at each site provided the design uniform hazard response spectra (UHRS) for 5% damping for three different levels of ground shaking. Using the recorded acceleration-time history of the 2001 Bhuj earthquake as a seed acceleogram, synthetic time histories are generated to match the design UHRSs obtained from PSHA for three different levels of bedrock motion. The site-specific ground response studies revealed that the JNPT site is susceptible to a higher seismic hazard than the other sites. The lowest seismic hazard is observed at the TAPS site, indicating safe siting of the nuclear power plant in the event of seismic excitation. The results of the research reported in this paper are recommended for further soil structure interaction and performance-based designing of systems, structures, and components (SSCs) of port and NPP facilities in Mumbai. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the impact of the growth in the overall cargo traffic performance over the shipping performance at the major ports of India during the period 1994-95 to 2009-10. Some statistical tools like Bivariate and Multiple Regression Analyses with diagrammatical representations are used for the purpose. The paper concludes with the major findings that the shipping performance in terms of the growth of total vessels is significant in response to both the growth of total and category-wise cargo traffic respectively over the said period. This may be primarily due to the dominant rise in the total bulk cargo vessels rather than the container cargo vessels, though there is a significant growth in container traffic. In particular, the liquid bulk cargo has a greater impact on the growth of total shipping, though there is a significant growth of liquid bulk cargo in total cargo traffic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ports have played an important role in the historical study of colonial trade and urbanisation of India. They had always been the poles of international trade and commerce since earlier times. Hence, they were the active agents in the development of the port towns since colonial times. But, the situation had changed in the post-independence period with the gradual changing importance of the ports and port towns in international trade. Not only that, apart from ports, several other factors such as the growing importance of land-based transport system, growth of regional infrastructure, industries within the interior of the country, several push and pull factors of the area such as the higher education, banks, business, job opportunities, recreational facilities etc., population pressure, regional linkages, socio-economic conditions have influenced the growth and development of these port towns. Together with these, the shifts and changes have also occurred in the “functions” of these ports and port towns, in response to the national policy changes during the planning decades in the spheres of industry and trade in favour of ‘inward looking strategy’ of industrialisation through import substitution and export promotion strategies. All these have changed the occupational structure of these port towns from primary sector of occupations to that of secondary and tertiary sectors, thereby, causing drastically a change in the economic activities of these port towns. This paper also attempts a comparative study between port towns of the western and eastern coasts of India in this respect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rejecting economic gradualism, Rosenstein-Rodan, back in 1943 advocated huge government-led initial infrastructure investment or 'Big-Push Approach' to achieve big economic growth. Welfare economists like Arthur Lewis and Rugnar Nursk expanded the proposition through their 'Dual Sector Model' and 'Balanced Growth Approach' converting the whole idea as a body of 'Modernisation Theories' for economic growth and development. John Maynard Keynes endorsed the idea too through his 'Mixed Economy Growth Model' prescription. Seaports are India's trade and geo-economic gateways. India meanwhile has launched a very ambitious maritime modernization program called 'Sagarmala 2015–2035' to modernize Indian Seaports and develop port-led industrialization similar to Rodan's Big Push approach. Seaports and their vessel traffic pattern provide critical insight into national maritime geo-economic outreach. In the background of India's Sagarmala maritime modernization experience and similar lessons from the neighborhood, using Seaports vessel traffic as a variable, this article analyzes India's maritime geo-economic comparative outreach and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human resources are vital to all for the sustainable development of any organization. HRD is influenced by environmental factors. Developmental climate is necessary for the consistent development of organization. Climate is an overall feeling that is conveyed by the physical layout the way, employees interact and conduct themselves with the others. An organization wants to be dynamic and growth oriented if their people are dynamic and proactive, this can be happen through proper selection and nurturing the dynamism of the people. Then an organization can make their people dynamic and proactive. To survive it is very essential for an organization to adapt the change in the environment and also prepare their employees continuously meet the challenges and this will have a positive impact on the organization. In this organization to see the problems in its totality and a developmental climate is needed for maximizing the human resources. Vishakhapatnam Port Trust (VPT) is one of the major twelve ports in India. Employees employing with entire satisfaction. It was meant that to know the nature of HRD any level of perception is carried out by the employees in this study. For this purpose the researcher has taken to measure the HRD climate by using OCTAPACE CULTURE variables, general climate, HRD mechanisms and its contribution to achieve organizational mission. Congenial octapace culture is extremely important for promoting the organizational effectiveness and good governance. In this context, the present paper is an Endeavour to identify the major factors responsible for non-promoting of organizational effectiveness among the executives and supervisors and their level of perception variation about the prevailing OCTAPACE culture and to know the preventive measures for the same with reference to Visakhapatnam Port Trust(VPT} this is where the human Resources Development gets involved with this industry considered to be the most important segment of our economy. No service sector can be rendered efficient so long as the basic facts remains unrecognized that it is principally human which needs to be treated humanly for achieving the basic goals of good Governance. The present paper hypothesize that if organizational OCTAPACE profile is high, it would positively contribute to organizational dynamics and effective governance. Hence the VPT is taken up for the study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prediction of cargo volumes is important for authorities such as port administrations and port operators, as cargo throughput affects port planning and operation. The forecasting results help planners and policy-makers to take decisions on issues such as port investment, port development, berth location selection, port operation, and freight rate. The success of the port operation policy depends on the accuracy of the cargo forecast. This paper presents an improved model known as dynamic regression (DR) model to forecast cargo demand simultaneously for ports within a port system; the model is applied to forecast cargo demand at major seaports in India. Past cargo flow data from years 1980–1981 to 2013–2014 at 11 major ports in India are used for estimating the proposed model. Average prediction error is found to be within 10% for most of the ports. The DR model is used to produce forecasts up to 2019–2020 for all the ports studied. The model forecast is compared with the projections of the Ministry of Shipping, Government of India. This study is intended to provide guidance to planners in taking decisions on issues related to port infrastructure development, such as construction of new terminals and improvement of access roads to ports for the major ports in India. The study will also be beneficial to shipping agencies for their investment strategies in the Indian ports sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of trade in ancient India was quite different from modern times. In olden day's mariners, artisans, traders, Buddhist monks and religious leaders used to set sail together and this trend continued till the advent of modern shipping. The representation of art on the walls of the caves, stupas and temples enlighten us regarding their joint ventures, experiences and problems faced during the sea voyages. The finding of varieties of pottery, punch marked and Roman coins, Brahmi and Kharoshti inscriptions along the ports, trade centres and Buddhist settlements suggest the role played by them in maritime trade during the early historical period and later. Mariners of India were aware of the monsoon wind and currents for more than two thousand years if not earlier. Furthermore, the study shows that the maritime contact with Southeast Asian countries was seasonal and no changes of Southwest and Northeast monsoon have been noticed since then. This paper details the types of pottery, beads, cargo found at ports, trade routes and Buddhist settlements along the east coast of India and the role of monsoons in maritime trade. The impact of Buddhism on trade and society of the region are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For any fauna, the unusual and extreme geophysical characteristics of any subterranean cave demand many biological adjustments to establish a population in it. In the present study, the bioinventory of Mandhip Khol cave Complex has been done. This cave complex has two identical subterranean passages; one wet passage, and another dry passage, so it is interesting to know the types of fauna it harbours. The tabulated results indicated that both the passages harbour mostly the same species, except some extra accidental visitors were found in the wet passage which enters the cave when the water level increases in it. Further, a bat species has been noted, which is new for the caves of Chhattisgarh, India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A sound transport system helps both domestic and international business to grow in a country. The current paper intends to review the growth of container transportation and the specific case of development of a major container terminal on the eastern seaboard of India at Sagar Island. Movement of goods using containers makes transshipment of cargo easier, protects cargo from nature and ensures safety of movement of cargo. Integration among different modes of transportation can ensure further efficiency of transportation. Containerization in the world is proceeding at a rapid pace. However, even though India has 7517 kilometers of coastline and container transportation using water transport mode is very suitable for India, container penetration in both domestic and international traffic has been less than satisfactory here. Containerization is primarily concentrated in northern and north-western India and, therefore, ports on the western coast have reaped the primary benefits of containerization. There is thus the urgent need for capacity expansion of Indian ports on the eastern seacoast. There is a proposal to build a major port at Sagar Island, in the state of West Bengal, on the eastern seaboard of India located at the confluence of the river Hooghly, since long. Currently the draught at Sagar Island is 10 meters and it is expected to increase to 12.5 meters by capital dredging. It is important to establish rail and road connections while building the major port at Sagar Island so as to get efficient and cost-competitive services from such development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2006, Pattanam coastal village of the Ernakulam District in Kerala, India, has witnessed multi-disciplinary archaeological investigations in collaboration with leading research institutions across the world. The results confirm that the Pattanam site could be an integral part of the lost ancient port of Muziris, which, as per the material evidence from Pattanam and its contemporary sites, played an important role in the transoceanic exchanges between 100 BCE (Before Common Era) and 300 CE (Common Era). So far, the material evidence with direct provenance to the maritime exchanges related to ancient cultures of the Mediterranean, West Asian, Red Sea, African, and Asian regions have been identified at Pattanam. However, the genetic evidence supporting the impact of multiple cultures or their admixing is still missing for this important archaeological site of South India. Hence, in the current study, we tried to infer the genetic composition of the skeletal remains excavated from the site in a broader context of South Asian and worldwide maternal affinity. We applied the MassArray-based genotyping approach of mitochondrial makers and observed that ancient samples of Pattanam represent a mixed maternal ancestry pattern of both the West Eurasian ancestry and the South Asian ancestry. We observed a high frequency of West Eurasian haplogroups (T, JT, and HV) and South Asian-specific mitochondrial haplogroups (M2a, M3a, R5, and M6). The findings are consistent with the previously published and ongoing archaeological excavations, in which material remains from over three dozen of sites across the Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Mediterranean littoral regions have been unearthed. This study confirms that people belonging to multiple cultural and linguistic backgrounds have migrated, probably settled, and eventually died on the South-western coast of India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The port ecosystems are prone to deterioration due to the maritime and coastal activities and as a major source of the country's economy need efficient management. Phytoplankton communities can serve as reliable indicators of the prevailing environmental conditions due to their short life cycles. Seasonal sampling was conducted at 26 stations from October 2014 to February 2016 at Kandla port situated in a creek, along the west coast of India. The post-monsoon and monsoon water temperatures were higher (30 °C) whereas pre-monsoon were lower (21 °C). The salinity varied from polyhaline (18–30; monsoon) to euhaline (30 to 45; non-monsoon). The strong currents, high tidal activity, shallow depth areas, and the creek backwater systems make this ecosystem well-mixed and turbid. The annual average trophic index (TRIX) scores indicated very good water quality and low eutrophication, except during pre-monsoon (2.3 ± 0.7 to 4.1 ± 0.2). Based on the cell size, the phytoplankton community was classified into two main groups, i.e., nano-microphytoplankton, which comprised forty-seven species (represented by diatoms, dinoflagellates, and silicoflagellates) and picophytoplankton including two groups (picocyanophytes and picoeukaryotes). The diatoms and picophytoplankton dominated the total biomass and cell abundance, respectively. Only the picophytoplankton exhibited significant seasonal variations in cell abundance and carbon biomass. The lowest monsoon phytoplankton abundance coincided with high turbidity and vice versa during the post-monsoon. The hypersaline pre-monsoon environment with lower annual temperature, relatively lower turbid waters, and increased nutrients favoured higher diatom diversity. These conditions also supported potentially harmful Gymnodinium sp. and bloom-forming Tripos furca and Pyrophacus sp. Overall, ten non-toxic but bloom-forming species were observed. The study provides insights into the phytoplankton community's response to environmental conditions that can have repercussions on the ecosystem's functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water quality parameters were analysed in complex aquatic ecosystem of two major harbour waters (Ennore Fish Landing Centre and Royapuram Fishing Harbour), along the Chennai district. Monthly variations in water physicochemical parameters such as atmospheric temperature (26–34°C), surface water temperature (23.2–33.5°C), pH (7.3–8.12), salinity (28.0–33.5 psu) and dissolved oxygen (3.2–5.6 mg/L) were analysed in the selected harbours. The inorganic nutrients such as nitrate (0.042–0.18 mg/L), nitrite (0.070–0.096 mg/L) phosphate (0.078–0.197 mg/L), silicate (0.480–0.790 mg/L) and ammonia (0.040–0.158 mg/L) were estimated in selected study site. The water quality parameters have obtained important seasonal and spatial variations. The increased harbour activities in both the selected harbour have been made the noticeable water quality changes. The obtained results evidently insisting the necessity of continuous monitoring of harbour waters. The present work was contributed in the harbour water quality monitoring and impact assessment for further policy mitigation measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study establishes, with the aid of field measurements and numerical modeling, that the upper reach of the Hooghly estuary (India), though damped, registers an intense tidal bore. The lower estuary is amplified but does not show signs of bore formation. Limited quantitative studies are available on bores forming in damped estuaries. This study attempts to fill this gap using tidal gauge and velocity observations supplemented with simulation results obtained using the open-source numerical shallow-water solver TELEMAC 2D. New estimates of bore intensity in the Hooghly are presented confirming that the bore Froude number may reach 1.37 in the upper estuary for higher tidal ranges. The numerical model is used to gain further insights into the formation and evolution of the Hooghly bore. The model, despite using a vertically averaged velocity field, simulates tidal wave propagation and estimates of velocity magnitude during bore propagation with significant accuracy. The study demonstrates that the proposed model is an efficient and inexpensive tool for capturing the bore phenomenon and may be used to supplement field observations. Using the simulation results, key features of the Hooghly bore, such as the distance of the bore inception from the ocean mouth and the threshold tidal range for bore formation are investigated. The numerical simulations highlight the impact of riverbed asymmetry in bore appearances in natural estuaries. The analysis also reveals new information about bores in the Hooghly estuary, which may be useful for planning shipping and berthing operations in the port terminals along the river. A comparison with other estuaries witnessing tidal bores indicates that the Hooghly experiences a strong bore, despite the high dissipative forces owing to the rapid convergence of river width. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seaports have evolved with changing technologies to ensure the handling of close to 80 per cent of global trade by volume and 70 per cent by value. As the ports have grown across the world, unabated pollution from numerous activities of ships, ports, industries, and infrastructure development has forced countries to focus on safe, efficient, and sustainable ports by focusing on community development to achieve cleaner harbours, skies, and soil. An effort of the Government of India for major Indian ports in this direction is Project Green Ports. Though the project was initiated in 2016, there is little update available about the project. It is to fill this gap that the article discusses the progress of the major Indian ports towards becoming green ports. In doing so, the article analyses the efforts made and the existing shortcomings to answer whether the Indian ports are on the right track to becoming green ports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As role of ports is changing rapidly in global supply chains and transport networks, and sixth-generation ports are evolving on the threshold of the fourth industrial revolution, the issue of sustainable port management has become crucial. Consequently, the Port Authority and policy-makers are under increasing pressure from all stakeholders whether business, governmental or societal, to adopt more mature sustainability theories and models that provide assurance for effective implementation and ease in practice for sustainability measures in ports. Apparently, such developments in port sustainability vary across countries in the realm of usual competition and cooperation dynamics of ports. This article examines the directives and efficacies of sustainability initiatives at three major ports located in three different countries. By utilizing a comparative case study methodology grounded in existing theory, this research aims to understand the success factors, differences and trends in sustainable port management. Additionally, managerial implications are discussed while tracing a pattern along with the empirical results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As the maritime industry forms the common means of heavy freight transportation, the efficient and strategic management of sea routes from an economic and environmental perspective has become a major concern to achieve sustainable development goals (SDGs). By applying marine engineering principles and quantifying metrics such as energy efficiency design, index/existing vessel design index, energy efficiency operational index, carbon footprints, fuel consumption, voyage times and emission this study aims to explore the merits of the Indo‐Sri Lankan shipping canal project over the existing route circumnavigating Sri Lanka. The quantification was performed by studying the design and operational indices of marine vessels, based on the metrics considering the major ports in India. The socio‐political, environmental and economic benefits reported in this study advocate the significance of this route to the maritime industry in meeting SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers an assessment of Iran's role in India's foreign policy calculations vis-à-vis Sino-Pak axis. The changing geopolitical and geostrategic dynamics in the post-Cold War era have brought about new possibilities and opportunities in the Eurasian space. Given the geographical conditions and re-emergence of geopolitical competition, regional connectivity through ports has taken a pivotal position in bilateral and multilateral engagements. Therefore, the port geopolitics has become a buzzword in the regional connectivity. India has many geopolitical, geostrategic and geo-economic interests in the Eurasian region. However, the potential has not been realized yet due to the lack of geographical connectivity. In the backdrop of emerging Sino-Pak axis, their moves and countermoves have been limiting India's multilateral interests including the connectivity across the Eurasian region. In these matrices, Iran's Chabahar Port due to its strategic location has become a crucial enabler for India. However, Iran has offered investment opportunities even to China and Pakistan in the same project. The existing enmities/competition between India and China-Pakistan has made it difficult for New Delhi to convert the proposed project of Chabahar Port into reality. Against this background, the article would try to give answers to these questions; what are the regional dynamics regarding the Sino-Pak axis to block India's connectivity with the Eurasian region? And how Iran's Chabahar Port can be a helping factor in India's counterbalancing strategy for Sino-Pak axis? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analysis assessing patterns in estuary use by Indian Ocean sousa plumbea within the Kochi harbor, India. Topics discussed include threats posed to these species such as gill-net fishing and estuarine habitat degradation; impact of rapidly changing coastal environment on the behavior of the same; and assessment of temporal and spatial variations of dolphin sightings.

A mathematical model is constructed to analyze the long wave-induced oscillation in Paradip Port, Odisha, India under the resonance conditions to avert any extreme wave hazards. Boundary element method (BEM) with corner contribution is utilized to solve the Helmholtz equation under the partial reflection boundary conditions. Furthermore, convergence analysis is also performed for the boundary element scheme with uniform and non-uniform discretization of the boundary. The numerical scheme is also validated with analytic approximation and existing studies based on harbor resonance. Then, the amplification factor is estimated at six key record stations in the Paradip Port with multidirectional incident waves and resonance modes are also estimated at the boundary of the port. Ocean surface wave field is predicted in the interior of Paradip Port for the different directional incident wave at various resonance modes. Moreover, the safe locations in the port have been identified for loading and unloading of moored ship with different resonance modes and directional incident waves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This article is based on mixed-method field research in Adimalathura, a coastal village in south Kerala, India, which has been identified as one of the poorest communities in the area. Although this fishing community has been facing severe ecological challenges, including massive resource depletion, it has been able to put up stiff resistance to impending dispossession in the face of a large port project actively promoted by the government, most major political parties and globalized capital. This article traces the history of public action and work in Adimalathura since the early 20th century, and reflects on its significance in the context of the present resistance. It examines the role of women in bolstering the community in times of severe challenges to men's livelihoods, and highlights the importance of women's provisioning work. Ultimately, the author cautions against exaggerating community strength and the capacities of the women even when they are able to utilize available resources competently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discosphaera tubifer, a coccolithophore has been first time reported as a bloom-forming organism from an over-crowded fishing harbour at Veraval, west coast of India. Physiochemical and optical parameters were measured following standard protocols. Average concentration of inorganic nutrients, such as NO-N (17.26 ± 2.92 μM), NO-N (643.80 ± 215.99 μM), PO-P (74.10 ± 26.52 μM) and SiO-Si (137.66 ± 25.83 μM) were recorded as very high at Veraval port as compared to other coastal stations i.e., 1.48 ± 0.66, 49.16 ± 13.73, 10.03 ± 5.31 and 96.23 ± 22.74 μM, respectively. The pH and salinity (‰) were observed to be low (7.80 ± 0.15 and 28.00 ± 4.54 ‰) as compared to coastal seawaters (8.34 ± 0.06 and 33.24 ± 2.32 ‰). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and spectral signature (absorbance and reflectance) study revealed that the bloom-forming organism was D. tubifer. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) study detected that chlorophyllide-a represent nearly 47.53 % of total pigment composition followed by chlorophyll c (27.40 %) and chlorophyll c (14.25 %). Four prominent absorption peaks were observed within 350 to 700 nm. The first peak was very wide and ranged from 350 to 530 nm and the rest of the three peaks ranged from 550 to 590, 590 to 650 and 650 to 690 nm, respectively. In case of reflection, three peaks appeared between 550 and 590, 590 and 630 and 630 and 670 nm. Nearly 100 % reflection was observed after 720 nm. The eutrophic condition of the port water along with low salinity and low pH might be the reason for D. tubifer bloom formation. This species-specific spectral signature of the D. tubifer bloom may be helpful for developing algorithm of remote sensing data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 related lockdowns have brought the planet to a standstill. It has severely shrunk the global economy in the year 2020, including India. The blue economy and especially the small-scale fisheries sector in India have dwindled due to disruptions in the fish catch, market, and supply chain. This research presents the applicability of satellite data to monitor the impact of COVID-19 related lockdown on the Indian fisheries sector. Three harbors namely Mangrol, Veraval, and Vankbara situated on the north-western coast of India were selected in this study based on characteristics like harbor's age, administrative control, and availability of cloud-free satellite images. To analyze the impact of COVID in the fisheries sector, we utilized high-resolution PlanetScope data for monitoring and comparison of "area under fishing boats" during the pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown phases. A support vector machine (SVM) classification algorithm was used to identify the area under the boats. The classification results were complemented with socio-economic data and ground-level information for understanding the impact of the pandemic on the three sites. During the peak of the lockdown, it was found that the "area under fishing boats" near the docks and those parked on the land area increased by 483%, 189%, and 826% at Mangrol, Veraval, and Vanakbara harbor, respectively. After phase-I of lockdown, the number of parked vessels decreased, yet those already moved out to the land area were not returned until the south-west monsoon was over. A quarter of the annual production is estimated to be lost at the three harbors due to lockdown. Our last observation (September 2020) result shows that regular fishing activity has already been re-established in all three locations. PlanetScope data with daily revisit time has a higher potential to be used in the future and can help policymakers in making informed decisions vis-à-vis the fishing industry during an emergency situation like COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]