Deep sea shrimp fishery off Kerala coast with emphasis on biology and population characteristics of Plesionika quasigrandis Chace 1985

Fish and fishery products are one of the most widely traded food items of world and play a pivotal role in the global food and nutritional security. Fisheries constitute an important sector in many maritime nations, not only as a major food source but also as a generator of foreign exchange earnings and employment. Fish contributes 17% of the global population’s intake of animal protein and provides essential minerals, vitamins and omega-3 fatty acids (FAO, 2014). The fisheries sector is a source of employment for more than 200 million people of worldwide (FAO, 2011). In comparison to the other sectors of the world food production, the fisheries and aquaculture sectors are poorly planned and inadequately funded (USAID, 2011). The capture fisheries sector is one of the fastest growing food sectors in India, in addition to aquaculture. The country also has a significant role in global fisheries as the second largest producer of fish in the world. In India, marine fishery sector is largely constituted by capture fisheries. The present annual production is about 3.78 million tonnes (mt), forming 85.7% of the potential yield of 4.41 mt, the split up being, 2.13 mt of pelagic, 2.07 mt of demersal and 0.22 mt of oceanic resources (DAHDF, 2013; CMFRI, 2014)

Blue whale washed ashore at Kuttayi Landing Centre, Malappuram, Kerala

On 27th February 2010, a blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, measuring 31 feet in total length was washed ashore at Kuttayi Landing Centre in Malappuram District of Kerala

Account on the deepsea shrimp Aristaeopsis edwardsiana (Johnson, 1867) from the Indian EEZ

Aristaeopsis edwardsiana (Johnson,1867) is a deepsea shrimp of the continental slope that has not yet been reported in the targeted deepsea crustacean fishery along the Indian coast. An exploratory survey on-board FORV Sagar Sampada in the Arabian sea at a depth of 950 m off Trivandrum (lat. 8 0 28’ N and long. 76 014’ E) yielded a catch of A. edwardsiana at a high catch per unit effort (CPUE) of 14 kg h-1. The biological aspects of this less known deepsea shrimp species such as length frequency distribution, morphometric relations, sex ratio and the additional sexual dimorphism manifested in the antennal scale of males are reported

First record of the reef lobster Enoplometopus macrodontus Chan and Ng, 2008 from Indian waters

The reef lobster Enoplometopus macrodontus was caught during the deep sea trawl operations off Chavakkad from a depth of 320 m. About ten specimens were landed at the Kalamukku Fishing Harbour, Kochi. The carapace length was 66-75 mm and weight was 79.3-94.2 g. This is the first report of the species in the Indian waters. The species has a smooth carapace with hair on the abdomen, chelipeds and telson. The morphological characters along with colour pattern are describe

Rare landing of a large sized Indian halibut, Psettodes erumei (Bloch & Schneider, 1801)

The fishery of Indian halibut, Psettodes erumei (Bloch & Schneider, 1801) declined considerably in the recent past. In recent years their fishery was very sporadic and catches were represented by relatively smaller fishes below 30-40 cm along the the southwest coast of India. In August 2010 a large sized Psettodes erumei measuring 60 cm TL was observed at Cochin Fisheries Harbour, Kerala. The reported maximum size of the species is 64 cm TL

New distributional records of deep-sea sharks from Indian waters

This paper reports the first documented record of three deepwater sharks from Indian waters i.e., Hexanchus griseus (Hexanchidae), Deania profundorum (Centrophoridae), pygmy false catshark (undescribed) (Pseudotriakidae) and presents a taxonomic account of smooth lanternshark, Etmopterus pusillus (Etmopteridae) and leafscale gulper shark, Centrophorus squamosus (Centrophoridae), caught by hooks & line units operated in the Arabian Sea, west coast of India and landed at Cochin Fisheries Harbour (Kerala), southwest coast of India

Shrimps of the family Pandalidae (Caridea) from Indian waters, with new distributional record of Plesionika adensameri (Balss, 1914)

Twenty four species of Pandalid shrimps reported from the Indian waters, of which six genera (Chlorotocella, Chlorotocus, Chlorocurtis, Dorodotes, Heterocarpoides and Stylopandalus) are represented by single species each. The genera, Plesionika and Heterocarpus are represented by eleven and seven species respectively. Plesionika adensameri (Balss, 1914) a deep-sea shrimp hitherto unreported from Indian waters is recorded from west coast of India. Information on some biological aspects of few Pandalid shrimps from Indian waters is also reported in the present paper

Misidentification in fishery: the case of deep-sea pandalid shrimp Plesionika spinipes (Spence Bate, 1888) from Indian waters

Plesionika (Spence Bate, 1888) is the most species diverse genus in the family Pandalidae and has wide geographic distribution all over the world. Plesionika spinipes Spence Bate, 1888 is one of the most important shrimps in the commercial deep-sea shrimp trawl fleet in the southern coast of India. The present study confirms that all previous records of P. spinipes in Indian fishery correspond to the closely similar species P. quasigrandis Chace, 1985. A table of morphological characters separating both species is provided

Economic efficiency of deep sea shrimp fishery operations in Kerala

Since the past many years the marine fishery sector of Kerala has been and continues to be one of the major sources of fish. The trend shows that the consumption of fish is on a rise and there has been an unceasing increase of issues pertaining to food secunty in terms of spiraling of the fish prices as well as non-availability of fish. With the decrease in catch per unit effort of fish resources, there is a critical requisite to identify new fishery resources to sustain the fish food security of the country. The marine fishing sector has witnessed vast technological developments in both harvest and post-harvest fisheries during the last few decades. Deep-sea shrimp fishing operations in Kerala started in 1999 with its initial phase registering high landings, but dropped down considerably in the subsequent years.This study was carried out to analyze the economic evaluation of deep-sea shrimp fishery of Kerala. The study was conducted in Sakthikulangara (Kollam District), Vypin and Cochin Fisheries Harbours (Ernakulum District) along the Kerala coast during the period August 2010 - May 2011. The primary data on craft and gear, capital investment, fixed cost, operational cost, catch, species composition and revenue were collected from 90 deep-sea shrimp trawlers. The results indicated that the operational cost for deep-sea shrimp trawlers was very huge when compared to coastal trawlers. The average operational qsts for deep-sea shrimp trawlers targeted for Red ring was Rs. 209391 and the net operating income was Rs. 94163 per trip, whereas, in the case of other deep-sea shrimps the average operating costs and net operating income were Rs. 146737 and Rs. 55870, respectively. Of the total operational cost, expense incurred on fuel was the most significlirt factor contributing 55 percent followed by crew share (22 percent) and ice (7 percent). The study suggests that concerted efforts are required for the sustenance of the sector, which would indisputably contribute additional fish landings for the State and would ensure fish food security

New distribution record of the rock shrimp, Sicyonia parajaponica Crosnier, 2003 from Indian waters

The present study reports the first record of rock shrimp, Sicyonia parajaponica Crosnier, 2003 from Indian waters. The diagnosis of the new record was based on the examination of two male and one female specimens, collected from a commercial trawler operating in the Arabian Sea off the south-west coast of India during December 2010. Present report of S. parajaponica from the Arabian Sea fills the gap in its known distribution range from South China Sea to Gulf of Aden at 10 to 200 m depths