The Ashtamudi Lake in the Kollam District of Kerala lies in between 76.53°and 76.63° longitude and 8.93° and 8.83° latitude. It is a palm-shaped extensive waterbody with eight prominent arms, adjoining the Kollam town. This extensive estuarine system has a length of 16 km with a maximum width of 14 km and maximum depth up to 6.4m covering an area of 64.2 km2. The Ashtamudi Lake has been designated as a Ramsar Site (No.1204) in November 2002 and is also a major tourist place. It supports around 43-marshy mangrove species, 57-species of birds, 97-species of fishes and some unique copepod species which are important sources of food.