Mumbaikars will learn about the diverse marine life on the city’s coastlines at an expert guided walkthrough of the Aquatic Biodiversity Museum in Versova
The shores near Versova Jetty are home to diverse marine life. FILE PIC
The head of a snake, an elongated body and pearly white teeth, paired with a long fin and bilateral gills of a freshwater fish. What might sound like we’re describing a preschooler’s imaginative doodle, is in fact the Barca Snakehead, a fish that is currently classified as endemic. One such snakehead finds home at the Aquatic Biodiversity Museum of the ICAR Central Institute of Fisheries Education in Versova. This weekend, naturalists and enthusiasts from the collective Bombay Gezgin will take Mumbaikars on a guided walk through the museum’s many such hidden gems.
ADVERTISEMENT
Students observe specimens of fish. PICS COURTESY/CIFE; Ashwini Gawli
“The museum opened in 2023, but it was frequented mostly by a niche audience of collegians studying fisheries until we recently amped up our outreach efforts,” shares curator Dr Abuthagir Iburahim. A large part of the collections of corals, molluscs, arthropods, crabs and fishes at the museum are sourced from the institute’s on-field interactions with local fishermen in settlements like Versova Koliwada, we learn. For those who might be overwhelmed by the endless rows of glass jars, each labelled with the Latin nomenclature of the preserved specimen inside, Iburahim assures us that his team of PhD scholars will join the walk to ensure smooth sailing.
An exhibit reveals the internal woodwork of a fishing boat
For host Ashwini Gawli, the molluscs (see box) — a massive collection of more than 50 specimens — are the pièce de résistance. Coming a close second is the seaweed collection comprising red seaweed of the Cryptonemia crenulata species, and the branched Coelarthrum opuntia, among the endangered corals of the Acropora genus. “These are species of marine flora that you cannot spot on your usual marine walk on the shores of Mumbai. You’d have to wade deeper through the water to catch a glimpse. Getting a closer look at them is a blessing for enthusiasts like me,” she reveals.
Students pose at the entrance of the Museum in Versova
While viewing the creatures from the comfort of the museum, the urgency of raising awareness on a larger scale isn’t lost on Gawli and Iburahim. “Mumbai’s heritage is not only in its architectural marvels and monuments. It’s also along its coasts,” Gawli reminds us. The collection of miniature boat models of varying size and shape at the museum will remind visitors of this natural heritage. “With declining habitats and the domino effect it has on life in coastal Mumbai, we run the risk of watching this heritage fade away unless we act fast,” they warn us.
Specimens of crustaceans
As for what the duo hopes the visitors take back with them, Gawli reveals, “Knowledge about what lies in our seas and its coasts. When you know what beautiful treasures they hide, you’ll want to save them yourself.” Gawli’s words remind us of Sir David Attenborough’s famous lines: “If children don’t grow up knowing about nature and appreciating it, they won’t understand it, and if they don’t understand it, they won’t protect it.”
Ashwini Gawli and Abuthagir Iburahim
ON February 7; 9 am
AT ICAR Central Institute for Fisheries Education, Yari Road, Versova, Andheri West.
LOG ON TO @bombaygezgin
ENTRY Revealed on request
Mollusc magic
Nautilus
Nautilus have long been hunted for their shells to be used as objects of display and art, they are mostly found in deeper waters and are declared as endangered species. They can be traced back to the Triassic period.
Cypraea or cowries
These are commonly found in tropical waters. They have widely been used as a source of food, entertainment, as ornament and currency.
Tiger Moon snails
This is a species of predatory sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Naticidae. They originated in the Indo-Pacific waters and have a fossil record dating back to 23 million years.
