Mudskipper fishing in the coast of Bhavnagar, Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat, India

Coastal areas of Bhavnagar district harbors wide range of ichthyofaunal diversity and diverse fisheries resources. The fishermen in this area use wide range of fishing methods and gears, which evolved traditionally and being adept extensively in Bhavnagar coastline. Livelihood of these fishermen is almost entirely depends on mudskipper fishing and they employ three types of fishing methods to catch them i.e. direct catch through digging the burrow, stick traps around mudskipper holes, and by nylon net. Fishing by using nylon net is the most commonly used method compared to others

New records of two Leucosiid crabs (Crustacea: Decapoda: Leucosiidae) from Gujarat coast, India

2132-2136Present study reports the occurrence of two leucosiid crabs species, Leucisca squalina (MacLeay, 1838) and Ryphila cancellus (Herbst, 1783) from Gujarat, west coast of India for the first time. Previously five species of leucosiid crabs were recorded from Gujarat coast. L. squalina was reported only from Karwar coast of Karnataka while R. cancellus was reported from entire Indian coastline except Gujarat coast.  Taxonomic description and distribution of reported leucosiid crabs are given here

Mudskipper fishing in the coast of Bhavnagar, Gulf of Khambhat, Gujarat, India

Coastal areas of Bhavnagar district harbors wide range of ichthyofaunal diversity and diverse fisheries resources. The fishermen in this area use wide range of fishing methods and gears, which evolved traditionally and being adept extensively in Bhavnagar coastline. Livelihood of these fishermen is almost entirely depends on mudskipper fishing and they employ three types of fishing methods to catch them i.e. direct catch through digging the burrow, stick traps around mudskipper holes, and by nylon net. Fishing by using nylon net is the most commonly used method compared to others

Effects of an Invasive Mud Crab on a Macroalgae-Dominated Habitat of the Baltic Sea under Different Temperature Regimes

The risks imposed by biological invasions on marine ecosystems are increasing worldwide. The mud crab Rhithropanopeus harrisii has recently expanded its distribution to the northeastern Baltic Sea, where low predatory pressures and the absence of functionally similar competitors favored the establishment of the species. Few studies have addressed the effects of the mud crab on Baltic benthic communities and habitats. Even fewer have looked at the consequences of the invader on habitats dominated by Fucus vesiculosus, the main habitat-forming macrophyte in the Baltic Sea. The present study experimentally analyzed, under laboratory conditions, the effects of R. harrisii on Baltic F. vesiculosus habitats and associated communities under different temperatures simulating summer and winter regimes. Our results show that the effects of the mud crab are modulated by temperature, being more pronounced under summer conditions when the metabolic demands and food intake requirements are higher. The experiment provided new insights into the capacity of R. harrisii to disrupt recruitment in native snail populations, jeopardizing the persistence of healthy populations of key grazers in F. vesiculosus habitats. Moreover, our results conclusively demonstrated the capacity of the invader to decimate native blue mussel populations. The impacts on functionally relevant invertebrates can have far-reaching ecological consequences, altering the food web and disrupting entire coastal ecosystems in the Baltic Sea