OTHER MARINE PRODUCTS

OTHER MARINE PRODUCTS Sponges are to be found in warm tropical waters and amidst coral reefs. The fibrous skeletons of the marine animals that live at the bottom of shallow seas between 12 and 55 metres is used for various purposes. The jelly-like body is removed from the gathered sponges which are then thoroughly dried. The bulk of the world's natural sponges come from Key West, off Florida in the USA, and from the West Indian islands. Sponges are also collected on the coasts of the Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas, the Red Sea and in the South Pacific islands. In some places around the Gulf of Mexico, sponges are farmed by tying- seed sponges to weights and lowering . them to the shallow seabeds. When they become large enough, they are hooked up and sold.

Seaweeds of many species are used as food. They are of immense use in industry for making gelatine, glue paints, iodine and cosmetics. Seaweed is also a fertiliser. However, on.ly Japan has taken to commercial cultivation of seaweeds.

INDIAN FISHERIES Fisheries play an important role in the economy of India. India is the third largest producer of fish and second largest producer of inland fish in the world. The fisheries sector provides employment to over 11 million people engaged fully, partially or in subsidiary activities pertaining to the sector, with an equally impres­sive segment of the population engaged in ancillary activi­ties. Fisheries help in augmenting food supply, generating employment, raising nutritional level and earning foreign exchange. Fish forms an important part of the diet of many people living in the coastal areas of Kerala, West Bengal, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Goa and Maharashtra.

India, with a long coastline of over 7,500 km, two million sq km of Economic Exclusive Zone (EEZ) and 1.2 million hectare of brackish water bodies, offers vast poten­tial for development of fisheries. The potential yield of fisheries from available sources has been estimated at over 100 lakh tonnes a year. But the actual production of fish in India is still low as compared to the country's potential.
The consumption of fish is less in India mainly due to differences in the food habits of the people, the non­availability of cheap fish in adequate quantities, the hot climate resulting in early deterioration of fish, etc.