imported>BrownHairedGirl: removed Category:1982 establishments in India; added Category:1982 establishments in Gujarat using HotCat

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removed Category:1982 establishments in India; added Category:1982 establishments in Gujarat using HotCat

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{{short description|National Park situated on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch in the Devbhumi Dwarka district of Gujarat state, India.}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch
| iucn_category =II
| map = India Gujarat
| map_caption = Marine National Park
| photo = The Vast Expanse of Narara Sea Bed during Low Tide of Narara Marine National Park.jpg
| photo_caption = During the low tide, the sea falls back miles and the hidden sea floor is revealed
| location = [[Gulf of Kutch]], [[Dwarka]], [[Gujarat]], [[India]]
| nearest_city = [[Jamnagar]]
| coordinates ={{coord|22|28|N|69|37|E|source:kolossus-frwiki|display=inline}}
| area_km2 = 162.89
| established = 1982
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| governing_body = [https://web.archive.org/web/20090410044805/http://gujaratforest.gov.in/index.htm Forest Department of Gujarat]
}}
'''Marine National Park''' in the [[Gulf of Kutch]] is situated on the southern shore of the Gulf of Kutch in the [[Devbhumi Dwarka district]] of [[Gujarat]] state, [[India]]. In 1980, an area of 270 km<sup>2</sup> from [[Okha, Gujarat|Okha]] to [[Jodiya]] was declared '''Marine Sanctuary'''. Later, in 1982, a core area of 110 km<sup>2</sup> was declared Marine National Park under the provisions of the [[Wildlife Protection Act, 1972|Wildlife (protection) Act, 1972]] of India. There are 42 islands on the [[Jamnagar]] coast in the Marine National Park, most of them surrounded by [[reefs]]. The best known island is Pirotan.<ref name="bnhs">{{cite journal|last=Apte |first=Deepak |title=Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutchh: A conservation challenge |publisher=Bombay Natural History Society |pages=26–27 |url=http://www.bnhs.org/bo/documents/GulfofKutch.pdf |access-date=2009-01-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070925110300/http://www.bnhs.org/bo/documents/GulfofKutch.pdf |archive-date=2007-09-25 }}</ref>

==Fauna==
{{further information|Persian Gulf}}
The [[fauna]] found here include:
70 species of [[sponges]] are found.
[[Coral]] 52 species including 44
species of [[hard coral]] 10 species of [[soft coral]] and almost 90 species of [[birds]].
[[File:A Sea Slug on the sea floor rock of the Narara Marine National Park.jpg|thumb| A sea slug on the sea floor rock. As the sea recedes, the sea creatures are exposed to the harsh sunlight before they retreat to deeper waters or take cover under rocks.]]
[[File:The Western Reef Heron (dark morphed) on the Prowl in the Narara Marine National Park.jpg|thumb|The western reef heron (dark morphed) on the prowl. The birds visit the Narara coasts during low tide to pick on the fishes and crustaceans hiding beneath the rocks and reefs.]]
[[Jellyfish]], [[Portuguese man of war]] and [[sea anemones]] are other coelenterates found here.
[[Arthropods]] include 27 species of [[prawns]], 30 species of [[crabs]], [[lobsters]], [[shrimps]] and other [[crustaceans]].
[[Molluscs]] like [[pearl oysters]] and [[sea slugs]] are present. [[Octopus]] which change colour are also found.
[[Echinoderms]] like [[starfish]], [[sea cucumbers]] and [[sea urchins]] are present.
The fishes found are [[puffer fishes]], [[sea horse]], [[sting ray]], [[mudskippers]] and [[whale sharks]] which are an endangered species.
[[Endangered sea turtles]] such as [[green sea turtles]], [[olive ridleys]] and [[leatherbacks]] are seen here. There are three species of [[sea snakes]].
There are [[dugong]]s and smaller [[cetacean]]s like [[finless porpoise]]s, [[common dolphin]]s, [[bottlenose dolphin]]s and [[Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin]]s.<ref>TNN - The Times of India. 2009. [http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/ahmedabad/Gulf-of-Kutch-favourite-dolphin-playground/articleshow/5092346.cms Gulf of Kutch favourite dolphin playground]. Retrieved on May 13. 2014</ref> Larger whales<ref>Jackson J. 2006. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QGU1X1HMuQAC&pg=PA60&lpg=PA60&dq=gulf+of+aqaba+whale&source=bl&ots=CvYXkxkZke&sig=cloa5eLiykXTHaxdXoiFh-ap8Iw&hl=en&sa=X&ei=dOaQVM7oCeK1mwXBmIHoBA&ved=0CDkQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=gulf%20of%20aqaba%20whale&f=false Diving with Giants]. pp.59. [[New Holland Publishers Ltd]]. Retrieved on December 17. 2014</ref> such as [[blue whale]]s,<ref>[http://www.cedobirding.com/index_files/Mammals.htm Mammals] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140514043550/http://www.cedobirding.com/index_files/Mammals.htm |date=2014-05-14 }}. Retrieved on May 13. 2014</ref> [[sei whale]]s are seen.<ref>The Marine Mammal Conservation Network of India.[http://www.marinemammals.in/marine-mammals-of-india/identification-guide/character-matrix-7/sei-whale Balaenoptera borealis] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140513223001/http://www.marinemammals.in/marine-mammals-of-india/identification-guide/character-matrix-7/sei-whale |date=2014-05-13 }}. Retrieved on May 13. 2014</ref> [[Humpback whale]]s, and [[sperm whale]]s may have been almost wiped out due to illegal whaling by the [[Soviet Union]] and [[Japan]].<ref>Clapham P.. Ivashchenko Y.. [http://spo.nmfs.noaa.gov/mfr711/mfr7114.pdf. Marine Fisheries Review]. Retrieved on May 13. 2014</ref> [[Whale shark]]s can be found in deeper areas.<ref>Gujarat Tourism. [http://www.gujarattourism.com/showpage.aspx?contentid=4 Marine National Park] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101212075022/http://gujarattourism.com/showpage.aspx?contentid=4 |date=2010-12-12 }}. Retrieved on May 13. 2014</ref> A surprisingly large scale [[greater flamingo]] colony, reaching up to 20,000 nests is known to occur along the gulf and many other birds species found here like [[crab plover]]s, [[sandpiper]]s, [[western reef egret]], [[great egret]], [[Ruff (bird)|ruff]], [[eurasian oystercatcher]], [[greenshank]]s, [[Common redshank|redshank]]s, [[gulls]], [[skimmer (bird)|skimmer]]s, [[duck]]s, [[pelican]]s, [[storks]], [[Godwit]]s, [[terns]].<ref>Thapar V. 1998. ''[[Land of the Tiger]]''. p. 161. [[University of California Press]]. Retrieved on May 13, 2014</ref> There are 42 islands in the [[Arabian Sea]] with coral reefs and the park is situated in one of those.<ref>{{cite news|title=A marine park in Gujarat on its way to become hot tourist spot|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1415322571.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140610083408/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P3-1415322571.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 June 2014|newspaper=Hindustan Times|access-date=12 June 2012}}</ref>

==Biodiversity and conservation challenges==
Marine National Park of Gulf of Kutchh is a fragile [[ecosystem]].<ref>Biswas N.. [http://aquaticcommons.org/2077/1/Kutch.pdf The Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park and Sanctuary: A Case Study]. International Collective in Support of Fishworkers Chennai. Retrieved on May 13. 2014</ref> In recent years, biodiversity of marine park has been under threat on several scores like extraction of [[coral]]s and sands by cement industries, increased turbidity of water, oil refineries, chemical industries and mechanised fishing boats.<ref name=bnhs /> At present, 31 species of corals are reported in the Marine National Park (Kumar et al. 2014). There were two catastrophic and localised (Adhavan et al. 2014) bleaching events happened in this region.

==See also==
* [[Arid Forest Research Institute]]
* [[Coral reefs in India]]
* [[Indian Wild Ass Sanctuary]]
* [[List of national parks and wildlife sanctuaries of Gujarat, India]]

==Notes and references==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch}}
* Kumar, J.S.Y., Marimuthu, N., Geetha, S., Satyanarayana, Ch., Venkataraman, K. and R.D. Kamboj. 2014. J Coast Conserv., 18: 167-175 [https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11852-014-0303-6/ Longitudinal variations of coral reef features in the Marine National Park, Gulf of Kachchh]
* Adhavan, D., Kamboj, R.D., Marimuthu, N. and Bhalodi, M.M. 2014. Curr. Sci., 107(11): 1780-1781 [https://web.archive.org/web/20171118123158/http://www.currentscience.ac.in/Volumes/107/11/1780.pdf Seasonal variation and climate change influence coral bleaching in Pirotan Island, Gulf of Kachchh Marine National Park, Gujarat]
*D. Adhavan, N. Marimuthu, S. Tikadar, K. Sivakumar. 2015. Impact of Algal Bloom on Mangroves and Coral Reef Ecosystemin Marine National Park, Gulf of Kachch, Gujarat, India. Journal of Marine Biology and Aquaculture - 1(2): 1-2.
* [http://www.jamnagar.org/mnp.htm Tourist information about the Marine National Park]
* [https://archive.today/20130112090602/http://gallery.wildone.in/gallery/marine-creatures Images Gulf of Kutch Marine National Park in Jamnagar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110721181710/http://www.waders.in/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1326&Itemid=29 Birds and Wildlife in Jamnagar]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110317012540/http://gallery.wildone.in/gallery/marine-creatures/hard-corals-scleractinia Hard Corals Order:Scleractinia From Gulf of Kutch]

{{National Parks of India}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marine National Park, Gulf Of Kutch}}
[[Category:National parks in Gujarat]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1982]]
[[Category:Marine parks of India]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Jamnagar district]]
[[Category:1982 establishments in Gujarat]]

Marine National Park, Gulf of Kutch - Revision history

imported>BrownHairedGirl: removed Category:1982 establishments in India; added Category:1982 establishments in Gujarat using HotCat