Royapuram fishing harbour
Encyclopedia
Royapuram fishing harbour, also known as Chennai fishing harbour, is one of the major fishing grounds for catching fishes and crustaceans located at Kasimedu in the Royapuram
area of Chennai
, India
. Located north of the Chennai Port
, the harbour was constructed in 1975. It is primarily a fisherman community area migrated from Chepauk
village in 1799 during the rule of the East India Company. The fishing harbour is under the administrative control of the Chennai Port Trust. A retail fish market known as the Kasimedu fishing harbour market with 90 stalls is located within the Chennai fishing harbour complex adjacent to the auction shed of the fishing harbour and behind the Office of the Fishing Harbour Management Committee. The market sells a variety of fishes including seer, pomfret, prawn, shark, sardine, crab, silverbellies, carangids and mackerel. The nearest railway station is the Royapuram Railway Station
.
Over 600 45-ft boats (each operated by 11 people), 200 30-ft boats (each operated by 4 people) and 300 fibre boats with outboard motors (each operated by 3 to 4 people), in addition to hundreds of catamarans, use the harbour.
The harbour was extensively damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The tsunami
resulted in the destruction of about 61 trawlers in the harbour, in addition to partly damaging 43 trawlers and causing minor damage to nearly 400 trawlers. The total loss is estimated at about 160-200 million.
Among its various activities along the coast of India, Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (OSTI) of the National Institute of Ocean Technology
(NIOT) undertakes biofouling studies at the harbour.
Royapuram
Royapuram , a locality of Chennai, South India, is the place where the first railway station of south India was constructed, and from where the laying down of the second railway line of the South Asia commenced in the 1850s. This railway line extended from Royapuram to Arcot, then capital of the...
area of Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. Located north of the Chennai Port
Chennai Port
Chennai Port , formerly known as Madras Port, is the second largest port of India, behind the Mumbai Port, and the largest port in the Bay of Bengal. Being the third oldest port among the 12 major ports of India, it is over 125 years old, although maritime trade started way back in 1639 on the sea...
, the harbour was constructed in 1975. It is primarily a fisherman community area migrated from Chepauk
Chepauk
Chepauk is a locality in Chennai , in India. The name Chepauk is popularly used to refer to the M. A. Chidambaram International Cricket Stadium also known as Chepauk Stadium. It is also home to the Chepauk palace, built in the Indo-Saracenic style...
village in 1799 during the rule of the East India Company. The fishing harbour is under the administrative control of the Chennai Port Trust. A retail fish market known as the Kasimedu fishing harbour market with 90 stalls is located within the Chennai fishing harbour complex adjacent to the auction shed of the fishing harbour and behind the Office of the Fishing Harbour Management Committee. The market sells a variety of fishes including seer, pomfret, prawn, shark, sardine, crab, silverbellies, carangids and mackerel. The nearest railway station is the Royapuram Railway Station
Royapuram Railway Station
Royapuram railway station is a railway station in the Chennai Beach–Arakkonam section of the Chennai Suburban Railway network in Chennai, India. It is the first railway station of South India, and the first train of South India started operating in June 1856 from Royapuram station...
.
Over 600 45-ft boats (each operated by 11 people), 200 30-ft boats (each operated by 4 people) and 300 fibre boats with outboard motors (each operated by 3 to 4 people), in addition to hundreds of catamarans, use the harbour.
The harbour was extensively damaged by the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. The tsunami
Tsunami
A tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
resulted in the destruction of about 61 trawlers in the harbour, in addition to partly damaging 43 trawlers and causing minor damage to nearly 400 trawlers. The total loss is estimated at about 160-200 million.
Among its various activities along the coast of India, Ocean Science and Technology for Islands (OSTI) of the National Institute of Ocean Technology
National Institute of Ocean Technology
The National Institute of Ocean Technology was established in November 1993 as an autonomous society under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India. NIOT is managed by a Governing Council and the Director is the head of the Institute...
(NIOT) undertakes biofouling studies at the harbour.