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Flowering of Noctiluca Scintillans, commonly known as the “sea spark” that the Karnataka coast has witnessed for about a month, has displaced microscopic algae called diatoms.

Highlights

• Diatoms form the basis of the marine food chain.
• This deprived the planktivorous fish of food.
• The bioluminescent Noctiluca Scintillans also brightened up the sea water at night.

Are these toxic

•  The species does not produce a toxin, it has been found to build up toxic levels of ammonia, which is then excreted into surrounding waters, possibly acting as a destructive agent in blooms.
• The ammonia makes N. Scintillans unpalatable for most creatures.
• Only jellyfish and salps were known to prey on it. N. Scintillans grazes on other micro-organisms such as larvae, fish eggs, and diatoms.
• But the unicellular phytoplankton that live inside it can photosynthesise, turning sunlight into energy. They help their host cell survive even when food was scarce.
• Thus, N. Scintillans acts as both a plant and an animal.

Central Institute for Marine Fisheries Research (CMFRI)

The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute was established by Government of India on February 3^rd 1947 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and later it joined the ICAR family in 1967. During the course of over 65 years the Institute has emerged as a leading tropical marine fisheries research institute in the world.

Source: The Hindu