Shore in the city

When we were first told that we could spot colourful sea snails, vibrant species of crabs and sea anemones along the seashore of Mumbai we wondered whether it was just hype. We then decided to go on a seashore trail with marine enthusiasts who have founded the popular Facebook page Marine Life of Mumbai. (MLOM) And, as it turns out just after an hour of exploring the shores of Haji Ali we were an educated lot and we will no longer look at the city shores as a dead ground dotted by piles of plastic.

MLOM aims to form a community of marine enthusiasts. Founded by Pradip Patade, marine biologist and researcher Abhishek Jamalabad, and Siddharth Chakravarty, an independent researcher.  MLOM seeks to find locals who share their passion for marine life. They also organise monthly walks along the city’s coastline and encourage attendees to contribute their images to the page, to build a repository of Mumbai’s coastal biodiversity.  

We walk through the rocky shores of Haji Ali with a bunch of other enthusiasts and Pradip shares his story. He has been photographing the marine biodiversity in the city since 25-years now, and the idea of involving citizens in the documentation was a bid to encourage locals to change their perspective towards the city shores. “It will only encourage people to save the beautiful aquatic life we have on these shores. Providing the layman with basic knowledge of diverse marine life may spark off interest among the general public, which may help in conservation efforts,” he explains.

As we walk ahead, we spot sea anemones, barnacles, sea oysters, sea snails and this when we are only ten minutes into our walk. Pradip later explains that rocky shores usually are a habitat for a good marine life. “Haji Ali is very close to the city and for marine walks we take easy trails like these. We see the tide conditions and plan our walks around a low tide. You will easily spot a variety of species of molluscs, snails, crabs and sponges on this shore alone,” he shares.

Pradip undertakes these free walks with other marine volunteers once a month and encourages participants to click pictures and share it with the team. The walks are held on the shores of Marine Drive, Sewri and Girgaum Chowpatty.  As we strut ahead, ankle deep in cold water we spot a colony of colourful sponges. “These species have pores on the surface and are known as filtration plants, different species have different colours and their presence is a good indication of blooming marine life,” Pradip explains.

As we move ahead, we flip a few rocks and find a Cowrie shell and a Conch, much to the enthusiasm of the volunteers, “The major threat there is the plastic, which doesn’t let these species breathe. BMC claims that it treats the sewage water before letting it out into the sea but it isn’t the case, and we need to take measures to save and preserve this diverse life. Mumbai has over 300 species of different kind and it’s time they get noticed,” he shares.

So the next time when you take a walk along the beaches or the rocky shores of the city keep in mind your fellow marine inhabitants who are fighting to survive despite being under threat from high levels of pollution.