Precious Pulicat

To ensure that the unique fragile ecosystem of Pulicat Lake gets the protection it deserves, the Centre and the Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh governments must start the process to get it registered as a Ramsar Site and to establish a lake development authority.

 

Lime shell mining from boats.

The mudflats at Pulicat during summer.

Salt formation on the sticks used for fishing.

The central part of Pulicat Lake during floods.

A beach along Pulicat Lake.

Fishermen of the Yanadhi tribal community.

Pulicat Lake is an avian paradise for several migratory birds and, during the peak migratory season, hosts around 250 species. Here, various egret species feeding together.

Painted storks.

Bar-headed geese.

Spot-billed pelicans.

Painted storks and egrets.

Greater flamingos, waders and ducks.

A fisherwoman picking prawns in Pulicat Lake.

Some of the many fish species available in Pulicat Lake.

Whiteleg shrimp (Penaeus vannamei).

Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), the most common fish in the lake.

Tilapia (Oreochromis mossambicus).

A Yanadhi tribal couple with its catch. About a lakh people living in 200 villages around Pulicat Lake depend directly on its highly productive lagoon ecosystem with its rich fishery resources for their livelihood.

A blue dragonfly.

A red ghost crab (Ocypode macrocera).

One of the butterfly species that can be seen around the lake: lemon pansy.

One of the butterfly species that can be seen around the lake: lime swallowtail.

One of the butterfly species that can be seen around the lake: blue pansy.

1 / 0

Lime shell mining activities carried out in and around Pulicat Lake are destroying the wetland’s mudflat habitats