Laccadive Sea Facts
Laccadive Sea Facts
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| Interesting Laccadive Sea Facts: |
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| The temperature of the Laccadive Sea is stable throughout the year. It averages between 26 to 28 degrees Celsius in the summer and 25 degrees Celsius in the winter. |
| The salinity of the Laccadive Sea varies from 34% in the north and center to 35.5% in the south. |
| There are a number of coral reefs in the Laccadive Sea including the Lakshadweep Islands which contain 105 species of coral. |
| The maximum depth of the Laccadive Sea is 13,553 feet. |
| The Laccadive Sea's Gulf of Mannar was praised by Pliny the Elder as being the most productive pearl fishery in the world. Pliny the Elder lived from 23-79. |
| The Laccadive Sea is popular for fishing, which is a traditional occupation of inhabitants on its shores. Roughly 2-5,000 tonnes of tuna and shark are caught around the Lakshadweep Islands alone each year. |
| Of the 3,600 species of flora and fauna in the Gulf of Mannar, 44 are protected species. There are also 117 species of corals, 108 sponges, 441 fin fishes, 260 mollusks, 79 crustaceans, 17 mangroves, and 147 seaweed species. |
| The Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park was declared in 1986, encompassing 21 islands and a total area, including water, of 560km2. In 1989 it was declared a Biosphere Reserve, which now encompasses 10,500km2. |
| Along the coast of the Laccadive Sea the shoreline is sandy but in the deeper areas of the sea it is covered in silt. |
| The Gulf of Mannar of the Laccadive Sea has been considered to be the bank of pearls for more than 2,000 years. It is abundant in Pinctada radiate and Pinctada fucata. |
| Extracting natural pearls from the Laccadive Sea is expensive but the practice continues. |
| Shankha mollusks and shells from Xancus pyrum are often used for rituals and for religious events. |
| Roughly 70% of the fish harvested from the Laccadive Sea are tuna. The remaining fish that are caught are often shark, rays, perch, halfbeaks, and needlefish. Other fish include sardines, ponyfish, mackerel, shrimp, squid, crab, deep sea lobster, and skates. |
| There are roughly 125 fishing villages in the Gulf of Mannar in the Laccadive Sea. This includes 35,000 fisherman, and roughly 25,000 sea cucumber divers, as well as 5,000 seaweed collectors (mostly women). |
| The seaweed production has declined due to restrictions placed by the National Park. It dropped from 5,800 tonnes to 3,250 tonnes between 1978 and 2003. The seaweed collection season runs from October to March. |
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