298 EIGHTH PACIFIC SCIENCE CONGRESS 



Central Board of Geophysics 



The Government of India constituted the Central Board of Geo- 

 physics in 1949 and an Oceanographical Committee of the Central 

 Board of Geophysics reviews the problems of oceanographical studies 

 in India from time to time with the ultimate object of setting up an 

 Institute of Oceanography. This probably marks the first attempt in 

 the country to think in terms of oceanography as an independent sci- 

 ence which needs pursuit for its own sake without being subservient 

 to the applied aspects of Fisheries, Harbour development, Coastal ero- 

 sion. Tide Prediction, Survey and Navigation. It may be recalled that 

 the Survey of India has for a long time been carrying out prediction of 

 tides for thirty-nine ports from Aden to Singapore and it is also re- 

 sponsible for the mean sea level determinations. Expansion of tidal 

 work is also contemplated by the Survey of India by placing tide gauges 

 at most of the important ports and carrying out corresponding meteoro- 

 logical surveys with the help of the India Meteorological Department. 



Extent of Available Data 



The information on oceanographical topics available in India 

 would therefore comprise (1) Salinity and temperature distributions as 

 recorded by previous expeditions and part of which work is being 

 continued with reference to Fisheries by the Central Marine Fisheries 

 Research Station at Mandapam with the help of Fishery Naval and 

 Merchant Vessels operating in Indian waters; (2) Data relating to tides, 

 mean sea level and other physical aspects available with the Survey of 

 India; and (3) Data on maritime meteorology available with the India 

 Meteorological Department. 



An extremely useful compilation of sea temperature, currents and 

 meteorological data has been published by the Netherlands Meteoro- 

 logical Institute in the form of an Atlas in 1952. 



Beginnings of Fisheries Research 



Early attempts relating to research on marine fisheries of India 

 were directed to experimental trawling operations by ships belonging 

 to the Madras, Bengal and Bombay Governments and the scientific 

 work relating to the biology of the Oil Sardine of the Malabar Coast. 

 The trawling operations were commercially unsuccessful and fishery 

 work in most provinces suffered neglect during the periods of economic 

 depression that followed the first World War. The interest in the 

 Sardine fishery of the west coast of India continued because of the 

 disasters which this fishery suffered following the many successful years 



