Miss Elina Apine

Research interests

My research aims to assess how economically, environmentally and socially sustainable is the mud crab Scylla serrata as a livelihood resource in southwest India. S. serrata is an economically important species throughout the Indo-Pacific region, including India. However, while coastal communities in some states of India such as Kerala and Andhra Pradesh are extensively involved in mud crab collection as well as small- and medium-scale farming, in Karnataka on the west coast it is far from exploiting the economic potential. Socio-economic constraints e.g. lack of knowledge, training, and access to land together with gaps in knowledge about mud crab biology are recognised as the main reasons for this disparity

Supervised by Dr Lucy Turner, Dr Lynda Rodwell, Dr Ramachandra Bhatta, Dr Indrani Karunasagar and Dr Anna Godhe, I am using biological and social science approach to assess the perception of local communities and evaluate the impact of global climate change on mud crab fisheries and aquaculture. 

Grants & contracts

Carl R. Sullivan travel award of the International Fisheries Section of the American Fisheries Society