Heterotrophic bacteria density distribution in the surface waters at Visakhapatnam Fishing Harbour was studied from March to December 2006 at fortnightly intervals from four sampling points. Total bacteria registered a maximum density of 6.60 x l0³ cfu/ml. The lipolytic bacteria density (5.85 x 10³ cfu/ml) was relatively higher than proteolytic (2.97 x  10³ cfu/ml) or glycotic (3.90 x 10³ cfu/ml) bacterial density. Dissolved oxygen and pH showed all positive and all negative correlations respectively with four categories of bacteria studied. The paper discusses the impact of physico-chemical parameters on the density distribution of bacteria in the surface waters of fishing harbour.