Flying-fish fishery along the Coromandel coast

Abstract

The flying-fish fishery is an important seasonal fishery on the east coast of India extending from Madras to Point CaUmere along the Coromandel coast. Beyond this region there is no organised fishery for this species though they have been recorded in small numbers elsewhere along the east coast and rarely along the west coast. Along the Coromandel coast the season starts towards the end of May and lasts till the middle of July, though occasionally it extends up to the middle of August. It has been observed that the flying-fishes never appear in discoloured and muddy water. It is reported that, if the monsoons break early and discolour the sea-water with the silt from the rivers, the fishes migrate away from the shore and the season comes to an abrupt end