Studies on the hydrological factors in the north Kanara coastal waters

Abstract

The role of the hydrological factors in the productivity of the seas is well known. The North Kanara coast supports a rich fishery constituted by the plankton-feeder—Indian mackerel and no information is available regarding the hydrological conditions existing in this area which is a prerequisite to understand the plankton production and fisheries of this region A detailed investigation of the inshore waters of the North Kanara coast was therefore under, taken with special reference to the physical and chemical characteristics at the surface and to the meteorological factors. The work was carried out during 1954-1958 and covered a stretch of forty miles exte \ding from Karwar in the north to Kumta in the south. The area chosen for the critical study possessed an additional point of interest in that a large river—the Kali river enters the sea at Karwar.