L - Cochin University of Science and Technology

Macrobenthos, by feeding on meiobenthos and OM. and fonning food for higher
fonns like fishes remain an important component of the food wcb. Among the
bcnthic animals, polychaetes are the principal components (Longhrust and Pauly,
1987). Benthic organisms, which inhabit the bottom of the sea largely, fonn the food
for the most of the commercially important bottom dwelling finfishes and shellfishes
(Savich, 1972). Hence their prey-predator relationship, benthic biomass and its
production data help in the estimation of demersal fishery resources based on the
hypothetical food pyramid or bioenergy flow (Odum, 1973). The standing crop of
macrobenthos is not only important to the demersal fishes which directly feed on
them, but also to many pelagic species that are restricted to shallow waters during
some period of their life (Kurian, 1971). So estimation of benthic standing crop
production is necessary for the assessment of demersal fishery (Damodaran, 1973,
Harkantra et al., 1980). An analysis of benthic biomass distribution and demersal fish
catch showed a positive correlation as areas with high benthic biomass were found
supporting greater density of bottom fishes (Harkantra et al., 1980). West coast shelf
region of India showed high demersal fish catch particularly in the near shore region
0; south west coast which was largely due to the upwelling phenomenon (Warren,
1992). In addition to their importance in fishery resources, some of the burrowing
benthic organisms like polychaetes and amphipods are regarded as the efficient
bioturbators and recyclers of nutrients.
Meiofauna once thought to be the trophic dead end (Mc Intyre and Murison,
1973) are now known as an important component in the diets of fish (Bell, 1980;
Hodson et al., 1981; Coull and Palmer, 1984; Coull et al., 1995; Greg et al., 1998).
There has been much controversy in the interaction between meiofauna and higher
trophic levels. Mc1nture and Murisin (1973) and Heip and Smol (1975) suggested
that primarily meiobenthic predators consume meiobenthic prey species and thus
were not available to higher trophic levels. Mc1ntyre (1964) and Marshal (1970)
stated that there is competition for food between macro and meiofauna and that
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