Dr. M. Devaraj, Former Director of CMFRI passes away

Seasonal changes in the gonads of lamellibranchs such as oysters, clams and teridinids have been studied in detail by various workers, viz., Coe (1932 b and 1936), Coe and Turner (1938), Loosanoff (1937 b, 1942 and 1953), Galtsoff (1937), Orton (1933), Roughley (1933) and Quale (1943). In commercially important forms these studies have been of immense value in their culture and management. The present paper deals with the gonadal changes in the adults of the backwater oyster, Ostrea (Crassostrea) madrasensis Preston which is one of the widely distributed commercial species of bivalves in this country.