Information gathered on the seed availability from plankton studies and test pit observations has already been described. In addition, fish seed collections were made by dragging a piece of cloth about 3 × 1 m in shallow waters. Substantial collections of juvenile perches were thus obtained. The length range of the fish was 13–18 mm. The total number that could be collected on a single occasion was 389.
Observations made on oyster spat settlement are described in the next chapter.
Several intertidal rock pools (Pig. 9) occurring all along the coast were examined during low tide phases and the organisms present in them were noted. Barnacles, Chiton sp., limpets, gastropods, amphipods, isopods, planarians, ascidians and algae were the common biota present in the pools. A few fish eggs were also collected, but no larvae or juveniles were found.
Six wooden teat panels were exposed at different depths in the shallow water region near the Palm Beach Hotel, in Sector 1. Primary slime formation took place in all the panels within 7 days. Subsequently, settlement of few barnacles was noticed. In two panels at low tide level, bryzoan settlement was observed. No oyster spat or wood boring organisms were found. Filamentous algae appeared in four panels after two weeks of exposure.
These preliminary observations have showed the presence of oyster larvae and fish eggs in the plankton, though not in abundant quantities, and the availability of moderate numbers of juvenile perches in the shallow and sandy areas. Thus, it would be worthwhile to take up detailed and round the year observations in order to make an assessment of the abundance and distribution of seed of cultivable fin fish and shell fish during the different seasons.
