Twenty one new Fellowships were sanctioned during the financial year 1996- 97 in addition to 27 continuing Fellowships in the different disciplines of marine sciences including Coral and Seagrass Mortality in Reefs, Microbial Pathogens and Environmental Disturbances, Microbial Diversity in Marine Ecosystem, Microbial Pollution, Geo-Chemical Studies of Estuarine and Shelf. Sediments of Godavari (Bay of Bengal), A novel Construction of Potential Microbial Consortia for Efficient Removal of Broad Spectrum of Hydrocarbons and Heavy metals iin Marine Ecosystem, Larval Development of Decapod Crustaceans and Effect of Environmental Parameters and Pollutants on their Development, Cyanobacterial Biodiversity in the Estuarine Ecosystems of Dakshina Kannada with reference to some of their Biochemical characteristics; Marine Products in Unani System, etc.