In News:

In a significant boost to India’s marine conservation framework and the Blue Economy mission, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has officially designated the "Bhavasagara" Referral Centre at Kochi as a National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna.

This designation was conferred under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, recognizing the facility as a critical hub for preserving India’s deep-sea biological heritage.

About the Bhavasagara Referral Centre

Located within the campus of the Center for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) in Kochi, Kerala, "Bhavasagara" serves as a specialized scientific repository.

• Current Holdings: It houses over 3,560 taxonomically identified and geo-referenced voucher specimens.
• Biological Diversity: The collection includes a vast range of marine life:
  • Invertebrates: Cnidarians (corals/jellyfish), molluscs, arthropods (crabs/shrimp), annelids, and echinoderms.
  • Vertebrates: Elasmobranchs (sharks/rays) and teleostean (bony) fishes.
• Coverage: Over 70% of the specimens represent deep-water and open-ocean species collected from the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and adjacent high seas.

Key Responsibilities & Statutory Powers

Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, the repository is mandated with the following:

• Secure Custody: Maintaining physical biological samples (voucher specimens) alongside their DNA sequences and genetic data.
• Official Custodian of New Species: It is the mandatory repository for any new deep-sea species (Type Specimens) discovered within Indian waters.
• Capacity Building: Acting as a training hub for deep-sea taxonomy, directly aligning with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).
• Digital Documentation: Integration with databases like the Indian Ocean Biodiversity Information System (IndOBIS) for global and regional knowledge sharing.

The Institutional Framework: CMLRE

The Center for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE) is a premier research institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).

• Mandate: Exploration, management, and conservation of living resources within the Indian EEZ.
• Research Pillars:
  • Fishery Resource Assessment: Utilizing research cruises (e.g., in the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal) to map biodiversity hotspots and spawning grounds.
  • Advanced Technology: Employing environmental DNA (eDNA) metabarcoding and genomic analysis for non-invasive biodiversity assessment.
  • Community Engagement: Development of the "Ocean Eyes" mobile app, a citizen-science initiative to record marine species sightings