Marine Soundscapes and Ocean Health

Soundscapes recorded on acoustic recorders give us an idea of changes, both natural and human-made, to wild habitats.

What song would you play if you were a reef fish facing an acoustic recorder?

Cartoon for DW Environment.

Lakshadweep versus Maldives

Lakshadweep versus Maldives. Cartoon for The Hindu.

Here's hoping that the tourism make-over of Lakshadweep, which is already grappling from mass coral bleaching and crashing fisheries, will have sustainability at its core. 

Bonus marks to each one of you who identifies the bird in the cartoon correctly!

Rice's Whales versus the USA

The Rice's Whale, earlier considered a sub-species of the Bryde's Whale, was discovered to be a new species only in 2021! Just when it was the whale's time to 'rice and shine', USA decided to lease its habitat for oil.

Cartoon for DW Environment. 

Sea Skate

Meet the sea skate, a cartilaginous fish closely related to the better known stingrays! Cartoon from my column with Roundglass Sustain.

The cartoon also ran as a caption contest last month on Roundglass's social media platforms. Check out the winning entries here.

Silver Pomfret the State Fish of Maharashtra

My home state Maharashtra has a new official state fish, everyone's favourite Silver Pomfret! But the 'pom still frets', as the high demand for the fish has led the mechanized fishing industry to ravage its populations, coupled with sea pollution. Marine conservationists suggest that diversifying consumption along with better implementation of periodic fishing bans and research will help save the pomfret. 

Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve Illustrated Map

(click on the image for a larger preview)

The distinction of being the most populated tiger reserve, not by tigers but by humans, comes with unique challenges, both for tigers and humans. Add to that the constant flux that tides, floods, cyclones and climate change bring to the delta, and you get a landscape that makes every day a battle for survival. And yet, Sunderban, with all its socio-political challenges and conservation threats, is the only hope for the people as well as the wildlife that inhabit it.

This map of the Indian fraction of the Sunderbans (a majority of the mangrove forest is in Bangladesh) attempts to present the major flora and fauna species that share the delta with humankind, making the mangrove and tidal ecosystems and their people an interdependent component in their own right. The art style in the map pays tribute to rural Bengal's Patachitra art, while the compass is a homage to the legend of Bonobibi and Dokhhin Ray, a thread that binds humans and nature in a tightly knit web. A few snippets from the map are below.

The map has been commissioned by the Wildlife Trust of India, and is on display at the Sunderbans' mangrove interpretation centre at Sajnekhali. By special arrangement, prints of the map are also available via my Happywagon webstore here, shipped both in India and abroad.

A huge thanks to Mr. Samrat Paul of WTI for sharing his time and expertise with me during my field visit to the Sunderbans that made the illustration possible. 

UN Marine Conservation Treaty

Negotiators from over 100 UN nations have signed what is being termed a historic deal, that proposes legal protection of 30 % of the world’s oceans by 2030, from threats such as industrial fishing, deep sea mining, and drilling for fossil fuels. Cartoon from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Climate Change and Island Nations

As a rising Pacific Ocean advances over the island nation of Fiji, hapless residents have taken to barricading their shorelines with rubber tyres in the hope to buy time. Here’s a cartoon inspired by this, available royalty free for publishers via my Cartoonstock gallery.

In other news, you can now receive Green Humour cartoons straight into your email, by joining my Substack here. 

What Elasmobranchs think about the new CITES Regulations

Nearly 100 species of elasmobranchs (sharks and rays) were awarded protection in the form of an agreement on regulations on finning and trade between signatories to the CITES, at the conference held recently in Panama City this year. Here's what the elasmobranchs have to say about it!

Comic from my column with Roundglass Sustain. Read more about the CITES regulations here. 

Some Sharks from Around the World

Some sharks from around the world: posters and merchandise shipped worldwide from my Redbubble webstore.

For orders within India, visit my Happywagon webstore. 

Dugong Reserve in Tamil Nadu

India gets its first Dugong Reserve in Tamil Nadu! Comic from my column in Roundglass Sustain.

Some Bare Facts about Nudibranchs

Some bare facts about nudibranchs! Comic poster from my column with Roundglass Sustain. Prints and posters out on my Redbubble store for all you marine biology enthusiasts, and will soon be up on my Indian webstore as well. 

Marine Noise and Dolphins

Marine noise is a growing threat worldwide, to the ecology of dolphins and other cetaceans that rely on sonar for communication, navigation and feeding. Comic from my column with The Hindu Sunday Magazine.

Ocean Zones: Illustration for Arastirmaci Cocuk

An illustration depicting the various zones of the ocean, done for the Turkish kids' magazine Arastirmaci Cocuk. Read their latest issue on the website here.

Prints of this poster in English are available on my webstore here, shipped worldwide. For orders within India, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmailcom . Sizes and prices for prints within India are as follows: 

A0: Rs. 3500 for the first copy, Rs. 3000 for the second copy onwards

A1: Rs. 3000 for the first copy, Rs. 2500 for the second copy onwards

A2: Rs. 1500 for the first copy, Rs. 1200 for the second copy onwards

A3: Rs. 500 for the first copy, Rs. 300 for the second copy onwards

Ninja Lanternshark

Nature TV presents the Ninja Lanternshark- a bioluminescent deep sea shark, in my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Unpopular but Right Opinions of the Right Whale

A Right Whale offers its two bits on marine conservation, this World Oceans Day. Comic from my column with Sunday Mid-Day.

Sea Sparkles and Arabian Sea

Not all that glitters is a romantic bioluminescence! On sea sparkles and their impact on fisheries in the Arabian Sea, from my column with Sunday Mid-day. Read more about the issue on Mongabay India's article here.  

Some Facts About Parrotfish

Some facts about Parrotfish. Cartoon series from my page with the December issue of Saevus magazine. Subscribe to Saevus here. 

Prints of the poster are available on my webstore here, shipped worldwide. For posters within India, email me on rohanchakcartoonist@gmail.com.

Decorator Worm and Costume Design

India's most sustainable costume designer, the Decorator Worm, meets Sanjay Leela Bhansali in my column with Roundglass Sustain.

Tuna Species of the World

Among the world's most loved, exploited and threatened fish, and the backbone of fisheries and marine economies worldwide: Tuna. As #WorldFisheriesDay approaches, know your #Tuna species in this new #GreenHumour compilation, featuring 16 of the known Tuna species from around the world.

Posters and merchandise out on my webstore here.