Heterotrophic bacteria in the coastal waters of Cochin

Abstract

Aerobic heterotrophic bacterial flora in the coastal waters of Cochin was studied for 1 y at monthly intervals. Bacterial counts (no. ml^-1) ranged from 0.5 to 24.5 x 10 ⁵. Their counts were high during summer and the station, 3 sea miles off Cochin had maximum bacterial load throughout the year. The macromolecule hydrolysing bacterial population varied from 0.2 to 6.8 x 10 ⁵. Among the isolates, gram negative bacteria accounted for 88 per cent and pigmented forms for 23.4 per cent. Most frequently encountered genera were <i>Pseudomonas</i> (13 %), <i>Aeromonas</i> (13 %), <i>Moraxella</i> (8 %), <i>Flexibacter</i> (10.4 %) and <i>Micrococcus</i> (8 %).