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Prof.
S. Ramachandran
DIRECTOR
It is my pleasure to welcome you to the web page of Institute for Ocean
Management, Anna University, Chennai. This institute was set up in 1985
as Ocean Data Centre with financial assistance from the Government of
Tamil Nadu. The main activities of the Centre are, to coordinate in
research, dissemination of information and development of interaction
with multi-disciplinary groups and user industries working in coastal
zone issues. The Data Centre was then combined with the Centre for Water
Resources and functioned as the Centre for Water Resources and Ocean
Management from 1995. From 1998, the Institute for Ocean Management
(IOM), the first of its kind in the country, has been established with
a view to face the challenges of meeting the increasing resource demands
in ocean and coastal resources utilization coastal management and to
train adequate manpower, in these areas, in the years to come. The problems
of Indian coast, relate to beach erosion; sedimentation; siltation of
river mouths, lake and ports; environmental degradation; pollution;
mangrove deforestation; protection of marine parks; degradation of coral
reefs: loss of biodiversity in the coastal zone etc., Rational utilisation
of ocean and coastal resources and proper management are required to
meet the sustainable growth.
IOM'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE SOCIETY
One of the major services offered to coastal communities by IOM is the
dissemination of information on the Potential Fishery Zone (PFZ). The
utilization of advanced technologies for the rural communities is being
demonstrated through this project. The Sea Surface Temperature (SST),
thermal features such as eddies, current boundaries and thermal gradients
are being recognized using the satellite data and a forecast on PFZ
is being generated regularly at NRSA, Hyderabad. The Institute for Ocean
Management is the nodal agency to disseminate the PFZ information to
the coastal towns and cities of Tamil Nadu. The PFZ project was undertaken
as a part of MARSIS project, funded by Department of Ocean Development.
The PFZ information is being disseminated through various agencies like
the All India Radio, Tamil Nadu State Fisheries Department, Fishery
Survey of India, Tamil News Dailies, Tamil Nadu Cooperative APEX Fisheries
Federation Ltd; Chennai etc. The fishing community is largely benefited
from this information by way of saving the search time and reduction
in the cost of fuel.
CONTRIBUTION TO THE CENTRAL AND STATE GOVERNMENTS
The Government of India as well as the Tamil Nadu State Government has
recently declared the Integrated Coastal Management as a priority/emerging
area in the next five-year plan. The IOM has been playing a vital role
in planning, development and management of the marine and coastal area
resources through research, education and training at the state, national
and international level. The faculty of IOM are involved in several
planning schemes of the State and Central Government, including the
Planning Commission; Pollution Control Board; Environment and Forests;
Ocean Development; Public Works Department etc., and offer their services.
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