COVID-19 lockdown improved the health of coastal environment and enhanced the population of reef-fish

Edward, J. K. Patterson; Jayanthi, M.; Malleshappa, H.; Jeyasanta, K. Immaculate; Laju, R. L.; Patterson, Jamila; Raj, K. Diraviya; Mathews, G.; Marimuthu, A. S.; Grimsditch, Gabriel

Reduction in the impact of human-induced factors is capable of enhancing the environmental health. In view of COVID-19 pandemic, lockdowns were imposed in India. Travel, fishing, tourism and religious activities were halted, while domestic and industrial activities were restricted. Comparison of the pre- and post-lockdown data shows that water parameters such as turbidity, nutrient concentration and microbial levels have come down from pre- to post-lockdown period, and parameters such as dissolved oxygen levels, phytoplankton and fish densities have improved. The concentration of macroplastics has also dropped from the range of 138±4.12 and 616±12.48 items/100m2 to 63±3.92 and 347±8.06 items/100m2. Fish density in the reef areas has increased from 406 no. 250 m-2 to 510 no.250 m-2. The study allows an insight into the benefits of effective enforcement of various eco-protection regulations and proper management of the marine ecosystems to revive their health for biodiversity conservation and sustainable utilization.