Fifty years of hydrobiological research in India

Abstract

The paper provides an overview of the developments in hydrobiological studies in India during the past fifty years, and links them with a historical perspective of the pre-independence studies. Hydrobiological studies which were well developed in the beginning of this century, gained momentum soon after independence as all kinds of aquatic habitats were investigated for the assessment, conservation and optimum utilization of inland fishery resources of the country. However, the environmental issues which dominated since the 1972 Stockholm Conference, and growing realization of the problem of water pollution, resulted in a rapid proliferation of hydrobiological studies which tend to focus on correlation between the distribution of various organisms and degree of water pollution or the effects of various organic and inorganic pollutants. A sampling of published literature reveals that long-term, analytical and experimental studies of the whole ecosystems (natural or experimental), and studies of population interactions, biomanipulation, food chain dynamics, and energy flows are wholly lacking. The paper calls for the strengthening of field and laboratory facilities, and establishment of regional and national institutes of aquatic ecology which will be necessary for the management of both the water quality and aquatic biological resources for sustainable development.