Gulf of Mannar

The Gulf of Mannar is a large, shallow bay that is part of the Laccadive Sea in the Indian Ocean. It sits between the southeastern tip of India and the west coast of Sri Lanka, along a region called the Coromandel Coast. The water here is not very deep, with an average depth of about 5.8 meters, or 19 feet.

A chain of low islands and reefs called Adam’s Bridge or Rama Setu separates the Gulf of Mannar from another body of water called Palk Bay to the north. This chain includes Mannar Island.

Several rivers flow into the Gulf of Mannar. These include the Thamirabarani River and Vaippar River from South India, as well as the Malvathu Oya (Malvathu River) from Sri Lanka. The Gulf of Mannar is also home to the dugong, also known as a sea cow, which lives in this area.

Conservation

Marine sanctuary

See also: Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

The Gulf of Mannar is a special place with many plants and animals. You can see sea turtles, sharks, dugongs, and dolphins here. But people take too many fish and sea creatures, so some are becoming less common. This includes fish, pearl oyster, gorgonian coral, and acorn worm. Fishermen need these for food, but some fishing and pollution have hurt the reefs.

In 1986, 21 small islands near Tamil Nadu became the Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park. In 1989, this area and the waters around it were named a Biosphere Reserve.

Biosphere reserve

The Gulf of Mannar Biosphere Reserve covers a big area of ocean, 21 islands, and nearby land. It includes beaches, estuaries, special forests, underwater plants, seaweed and sea grass areas, coral reefs, salty water marshes, and mangrove forests. In 2019, scientists saw that some corals were losing their colour because the water got too warm.

Marine activities

The Gulf of Mannar has been known for its pearl banks for over 2,000 years. Ancient writers like Pliny the Elder talked about the gulf having some of the richest pearl fisheries in the world. Today, people still collect natural pearls there.

Important ports near the Gulf of Mannar include Thoothukudi in India and Colombo in Sri Lanka. In 2005, India started planning a big shipping canal project to connect the Gulf of Mannar to the Bay of Bengal. This would make travel between India's east and west coasts faster, but some people worry it might harm the plants and animals in the area.