Pair trawling at Sakthikulangara

In 2011, the medium sized fishing boats operating from Sakthikulangara opted for a different mode of fishing. During this period, usually they used to have a good catch of Parapenaeopsis stylifera and other prawns but the catch existed for a shorter period. This prompted these fishermen to opt for a different mode called pair-trawling (local term Nikathipani), in which two boats operate as a single unit with 10-12 crew members

Bumper catch of Nemipterus spp. at Munambam Fisheries Harbour

The August 2011 postmonsoon ban period witnessed a bumper catch of Nemipterus spp. The trawlers at Munambam Fisheries Harbour after 3-5 days of fishing had enormous catch of Nemipterus spp. (Fig.1 and 2) ranging from 1.8 to 12.4 t per boat from a depth range of 65 to 80 m. The peak landing was on 08.08. 2011

Unique landing of Sardinella sirm at Neendakara, Kollam

The ring seines operating at Neendakara on 14.05.08 landed a record catch of Sardinella sirm (Fig. 1). Two types of crafts were operated; thanguvallams with 90 HP inboard engine and fibre boats with 19.8 HP outboard engine. The depth of operation was 32 - 44 m north-west of Neendakara. The catch range per unit of fibre boat was 800 to 1000 kg and that of thanguvallam was 2600 - 3900 kg. Due to Ekadashi, thanguvallam and fibre boats did not operate on 15.05.2008

Whale shark Rhiniodon typus landed at Kollam

On 12.9.06 a whale shark got entrapped in a trawl net while fishing off kollam at a depth of 46m. The fish was brought to Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour. The male shark measured 445 cm in total length and weighed approximately 2 tonnes. Later it was sold for Rs.1000/

First report of the black saddled coral grouper, Plectropomus laevis (Lacepede,1801) from Indian waters

A single specimen of Plectropomus laevis belonging to order: Perciformes, Family: Serranidae was found among the gillnet catch at Cochin Fisheries Harbour on 17th March, 2012. The specimen measured 70 cm in total length and had an approximate weight of 3-4 kg

Marine fish landings in Karnataka during 2016 - An overview

Karnataka, with a 300 km coastline supports livelihood of 1.7 lakh fisherfolk population residing in 144 marine fishing villages. The marine fish production in the state reached a record 5.29 lakh tonnes (t) in 2016. The increase is attributed to the hike in the landings of Priacanthus spp., lesser sardines and oil sardine in 2016 as compared to 2015. Among the three coastal districts of Karnataka, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts contributed 38% each, followed by the Uttara Kannada (24%). The Mangalore and Malpe Fisheries Harbours are the main contributors in the Dakshnina Kannada and Udupi districts respectively

Giant Manta Ray, Manta birostris landed at Neendakara Fisheries Harbour

Manta rays that belongs to the family Mobulidae occurs in tropical, sub-tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. A large Giant manta ray, Manta birostris (Walbaum, 1792) was landed at Needakara Fisheries Harbour on 12.05.2015. The ray was 370 cm in length and weighed 1100 kg. The information collected from the fishermen indicated that it was incidentally caught in a 12 m OAL outboard (9.9 hp x 2 engines) gillnet unit. The drift gill net called Ozhukkuvala (70-80 mm mesh size, 200 m long) was operated at about 44 m depths. Along with the manta ray, Coryphaena hippurus, Istiophorus platypterus, Scomberomorus commerson, Mobula spp. and Auxis thazard were also landed

Paired and Un-Paired Trawling at Munambam F.H. and Munambam Mini Harbour

Trawlers of Munambam F.H. and Munambam MiniHarbour after the initial catch of Nemipterus spp. in August had resorted to a different fishery in September 2013. The Trawlers had gone in pair and in single form to exploit the Trichurus lepturus, Sepia pharoanis and Loligo spp

Whale shark landings at Cochin Fisheries Harbour, Kerala

A small whale shark Rhincodon typus, caught in gillnet was landed at Cochin Fisheries Harbour (CFH), Kerala on 20th November 2010. The whale shark was 17 kg in weight with a total length of 148 cm

Rare occurrence of ornate eagle ray at Cochin Fisheries Harbour

A rare ray, Aetomylaeus vespertilio, the ornate eagle ray or reticulate eagle ray was landed at Cochin Fisheries Harbour on 25th January 2011 by a gillnetter operating both drift gillnet and hooks and line (Fig. 1 a and b). The ray was caught by drift gillnet operating at a depth of 200 m