Mudbanks of Kerala-Karnataka; Need for integrated study

Abstract

We have documented reports of the mudbanks along the south-west coast between Mangalore and Quilon for well over three hundred years. However, sequential record of their occurrence in time and space is wanting. This phenomenon in Kerala, typi cally as occurs south of Alleppey (^Fig. 1), is known as Chakara. or Santhakara ("quiet shores"). During the last two decades the presence or absence of the Chakara pheno menon has attracted considerable attention of the fisheries sector, resulting in a number of useful studies on mudbanks covering specific aspects. Yet we are far from having precise answers to the problem of the mode of its origin, establishment, stability and dissip ation, except propounding some hypotheses and suggestions based on physico-chemical and biological data.