New All-Weather Fishery Harbour For Veraval

Veraval forms one of the major fish landing centres of the Saurashtra coast. The all-weather fishery harbour plan was approved and the World Bank sanctioned Rs. 342 milhon for constructing one each at Veraval and Mangrol. In Veraval the execution of the project was initiated in the year 1977-'78 by the Fisheries Terminus Division(FTD) of the Department of Fisheries

Atlas on the Elasmobranch fishery resources of India

The elasmobranchs represented by sharks, skates (sawfishes,guitar fishes) and rays are an important group of demersal fishes which are exploited for multifarious uses of their various body parts such as the meat, fins, liver, teeth and the hide. While shark fins are considered as a delicacy fetching increased export market, their liver oil is utilized in pharmaceutical industry. Shark teeth is used for ornamental purposes and their hide for a variety of leather products. This increased commercial demand coupled with their characteristic life history pattern including slow growth rate, delayed maturation, long reproductive cycle, low fecundity and long life span and their trans-boundary migration pattern make them susceptible to over fishing. Because of this background, of late there had been a growing international awareness over the conservation and management of the elasmobranch stocks. This in turn necessitates an understanding of resource characteristics and eco-biological features of different species of sharks, skates and ray

Unusual catch of Thread-fin breams by trawl net at Veraval

The thread - fin breams, locally known as 'Lal machala' constitute 0.6 to 12.39% of the total catch during the different months of their landing at Veraval. The thread-fin breams form an important demersal fishery resource at Veraval. During the mid September to October beginning, the trawlers brought a heavy catch (estimated to be about 2.400 tonnes) of Nemipterus spp. and the observations were recorded during that period. In the catches two species viz. N. mesoprion and N. japonicus were recorded, where N. Mesoprion dominated (94.55%). Biological observations and economical status was also studied

Sea erosion threat to coastal fishing villages of Valsad district, Gujarat

A report on severe sea erosion in some of the coastal fishing villages like Moti Danti, Nani Danti and Udwada, situated at the mouth of river Ambika, Valsad District of Gujarat, during the monsoon period of 1986. Many of the huts were destroyed, fish drying yards were washed away and standing paddy crops were damaged adversely affecting the life in the village

Marine Fish Calendar. 8. Veraval

The coastline of Gujarat, spread around 1,660 km is well known for its bombay duck and pomfret fisheries. Veraval located in the Saurashtra region forms one of the major fish landing centres. The average annual landing is around 50,000 t, forming about 20% of the catch of the Gujarat State. The peak landing period is from October to January by the trawlers. In Veraval it is observed that due to poor handling and storage facilities about 40% of the catch goes as trash fish and is used for manure and fish meal purpose

Biology and stock assessment of Tachysurus jella (Day) from Mumbai waters

Biological parameters such as length-composition, food and feeding, length-weight relations and growth of Tachysurus jella was studied using the data collected during 1987-2003. The occurrence of empty stomach was high (70%). Stomach content analysis revealed that the fish is a carnivore feeding mainly on bottom dwelling crustaceans (Preponderance Index, PI : 97.3) such as Squilla spp. (PI: 39) and crabs (PI: 35). The length-weight relationship was Log W = -5.7938 + 3.4426 Log L (r = 0.96). Estimated values of L∞ and K were 518 mm and 0.65yr-1 respectively. It was estimated that T. jella reaches 278 mm at the end of one year and 377 mm in two years. The longevity was estimated to be 4 to 4 ½ years. Stock assessment of T. jella during 1987-1999 indicated that the stock was overexploited (E = 0.73). Higher fishing effort and sharp reduction in yield during 2000 - 2004 confirmed that the species was under heavy fishing pressure and regulatory measures have to be imposed to sustain and improve the fishery of this species

Evaluation of improved pigeon pea (Cajanus cajan) varieties for organoleptic dal quality in India

Pigeon pea (Cajanus cajanL.) is an important pulse crop in the Indian diet and one of the most important sources of dietary protein for the population. Organoleptic qualities of pigeon pea dal were tested to draw conclusions on the preferred varieties. Organoleptic qualities such as taste, texture, aroma, tenderness, sweetness and overall acceptance were tested by a trained sensory panel. Available and commercially viable improved varieties were selected for the analysis. All samples were milled and cooked under the same conditions. Results indicated that PUSA ARHAR 16, one of the improved varieties, presents a good potential in terms of agronomic characteristics for farmers and is also well accepted by the sensory panel during the organoleptic evaluation. Generating sound scientific evidence on organoleptic characteristics of pigeon pea is important for the breeders, as they will evaluate which varieties have a commercial potential and are accepted by the consumers

Recovery of a ringed 'Dusky shark' Carcharhinus obscurus

The article is a report on the landing of a ringed 'Dusky shark' Carcharhinus obscures, on 28-3-1987 at Veraval caught by gill net. The morphometric measurements and biological features of the shark are also give

Evaluation of sampling gear for demersal resource surveys

The three demersal trawls evaluated were 38 m HSDT-II, indigenously developed by CIFT for deep sea fishing in Indian EEZ; and two imported designs, viz., 45.6 m Expo model demersal trawl and 50 m fish trawl operated from vessels of FSI and IFP, respectively. Vertical opening at trawl mouth was heighest for 50 m fish trawl (3.2 m), followed by Expo model demersal trawl (2.5 m) and 38 m HSDT-II (2.2 m), due to differences in overall dimensions and design features. Estimate of horizontal opening between otter boards was highest for 38 m HSDT-II probably due to low drag of the gear, followed by 45.6 m and 50 m trawls. Lowest catch per unit effort obtained by 38 m HSDT-II is presumably due to smaller dimensions of the gear, larger codend mesh size and difference in ground rig, in addition to chance factors. However, 38 m HSDT-II scores on several features desirable in demersal sampling gear such as simplicity in design and construction, ease of operation; lower twine surface area and drag; and ground rig suitable for wider range of bottom conditions. Modifications to make it more effective while sampling for crustaceans and small sized finfish components are described

Biology and population dynamics of Saurida undosquamis (Richardson) from Mumbai waters, Northwest coast of India

Biological aspects and population dynamics of Saurida undosquamis are presented in this paper. Feeding intensity and average volume of food per fish in relation to different years and maturity stages were studied for males and females. The principal dietary constituents based on index of preponderance were fishes, crustaceans and molluscs. This fish is a carnivore, feeding on the subsurface and bottom living organisms. Spawning period is prolonged from August to May with intensive spawning during November-December. Chi-square analysis of the sex ratio data gave a value of 20.5, which was significant at 1% level with dominance of females. The size at  50% maturity for males was 223 mm and for females 244 mm. The length-weight relationship for male was Log W= -4.49963 + 2.71518 Log L and for females Log W = -4.99493+2.93094 Log L. L and K during 1997-1999 was 392 mm and 0.57 yr-1 respectively. It was estimated that S. undosquamis reach 170 mm (CW) at the end of first year, 267 mm (CW) at second year and 321 mm (CW) at the end of third year. Longevity of the species from the present study was estimated to be 6 years. The totally mortality coefficient (Z) was 1.88 and fishing mortality coefficient (F) was 1.28. The exploitation ration (E) 0.68 was marginally above the estimated Emax (0.64)