Bull trawl operation banned along Karnataka coast to reduce indiscriminate exploitation of juvenile fishes

Mangalore Fisheries Harbour is one of the major marine fish landing centres of Karnataka, contributing more than 40 % of the total marine fish landed in the state. Bull trawling or pair trawling is done along the coastal districts of Karnataka with peak operations during the post-monsoon (September to November) period. The pair trawls target pelagic and semi-pelagic schooling fishes, like carangids, scombroids, clupeids, pomfrets, squids, etc. and the catch mainly consist of juveniles, including those of high value fishes

Underwater sampling methods for marine biodiversity monitoring

Marine ecosystems are vital for life on Earth, demanding urgent conservation efforts amidst increasing human encroachment. Sampling, essential for biodiversity monitoring, faces unique challenges in the dynamic underwater realm. This article delves into diverse sampling methods tailored for marine biodiversity monitoring. Traditional trawling and dredging, while informative, can harm sensitive habitats, driving the need for sustainable alternatives like dive-based surveys employing snorkelling and SCUBA techniques. Additionally, underwater videography and advanced technologies like ROVs and AUVs offer unprecedented insights. Citizen science initiatives further enhance data collection, despite quality concerns. Understanding these methods' strengths, limitations, and applications is crucial for effective marine conservation across ecosystems worldwide

Mussel reefs in sub-littoral zone-An important habitat for infaunal and ichthyofaunal diversity

A Sub-littoral mussel reefs harbours rich and diverse invertebrate communities. They utilize the reef complex as their habitat, rich feeding substrate and also as refuge from predation. Though the invertebrate diversity of the reefs is available, reports pertaining to their relation to dietary habit of reef fishes are lacking. A study was taken up at the sub-littoral mussel reefs occurring off Someshwara Coast (120 47’ 19” N 740 51’ 05”E) in Karnataka (eastern Arabian Sea) to ascertain the diversity reef as well as the fish fauna of the region. The invertebrate community of the reef was collected by quadrant sampling method. The details on fish fauna of the reefs were collected by visual census and also by using semi-structured interviews with local fishers. Detailed study was carried out to find the dietary relationship of the ichthyofauna with the diverse organism associated with the sub littoral mussel beds. Apart from barnacles and mussels, the invertebrate community was dominated by polychaetes followed by amphipods and crablets. The major ichthyofaunal diversity includes fishes of the family Leiognathidae, Lutjanidae, Siganidae, Sciaenidae, Epinephelidae, Carangidae, Ariidae, Haemulidae, Cynoglossidae, and others. The information pertaining to the dietary habits of the fish assemblages were compared with the in-faunal and ichthyofaunal diversity of the reefs to bring out the importance of mussel bed habitat

Rabbit fish grazes on scyphozoan cnidarians

Several marine fishes have short term symbiotic associations with scyphozoan and hydrozoan jellyfi shes and few studies suggest that these associations were of ecological signifi cance

Coral resources of Kerala

Coral reefs are marine ecosystems made of calcium carbonate structures which are mostly secreted by reef-building corals and encrusting macroalgae. These reefs occupy less than 0.1% of the marine world and provide habitat for wide variety of marine organisms including fishes. Corals are of two types, hard coral and soft corals.Hard corals come under the phylum Cnidaria and the class Anthozoa. Hard corals are commonly known as stony corals (scleractinians) as they produce a rigid skeleton made of aragonite which is basically Calcium carbonate. Due to the presence of hard skeletons, they form the primary or the keystone species in coral reefs

First record on the absence of anal fin in the white sardine, Escualosa thoracata (Valenciennes, 1847) from Indian waters

White sardine, Escualosa thoracata (Valenciennes, 1847) forms a minor fishery along the west coast of India. An abnormal specimen of white sardine, lacking anal fin, was collected from Mangalore coast along with the normal specimens. The characters of the abnormal specimen are described along with normal specimens. The report is the first of its kind for E. thoracta from Indian waters. The possible causes of the abnormality in this species have been discussed in this communication

Length-weight relationship and growth parameters of moonfish Mene maculata (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) from Karnataka Coast, India

The present study aimed to elucidate the length-weight relationship and growth parameters of the moonfish Mene maculata (Bloch and Schneider, 1801) along the Karnataka Coast. The species showed positive allometric growth with pooled ‘b’ value of 3.390 which is significantly greater than 3 (p<0.05) level. The “b” values of males (3.316) and females (3.440) showed significant difference from that of the indeterminates (2.90). The annual growth parameters estimated for moonfish off Karnataka Coast were: L∞ = 29.1 cm and K = 1.014 yr-1

Biodiversity and Natural capital valuation of the coastal ecosystems of Karnataka

Studies on the bio-inventory and ecosystem valuation document the ecosystems services in economic terms which makes it easily interpreted by policy makers and executives. Economic valuation of coastal ecosystems is essential for environmental planning and management, which ultimately leads to sensible use of coastal resources and services. Karnataka is one of the major maritime states on the south west coast of India. In this research, an attempt was made to understand the biodiversity and the economic value of coastal ecosystems of Karnataka to highlight its Provisional Services, Regulatory Services, Supporting Service and Cultural/spiritual services for biodiversity conservation and management

Bull trawl operation banned along Karnataka coast to reduce indiscriminate exploitation of juvenile fishes

Mangalore Fisheries Harbour is one of the major marine fish landing centres of Karnataka, contributing more than 40 % of the total marine fish landed in the state. Bull trawling or pair trawling is done along the coastal districts of Karnataka with peak operations during the post-monsoon (September to November) period. The pair trawls target pelagic and semi-pelagic schooling fishes, like carangids, scombroids, clupeids, pomfrets, squids, etc. and the catch mainly consist of juveniles, including those of high value fishes

Benefit sharing in the value chain of Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta in Karnataka: A policy perspective

Harvest and post-harvest activities in a multispecies multifleet unregulated marine fishery is highly complex involving a large number of intermediaries. The real economic benefits from fishing are often skewed in the hands of a few intermediaries in the value chain. Equitable distribution of benefits is an essential component for ensuring sustainable exploitation and management in the context of ecosystem based management of marine fisheries. The present study analysed the market linkages and benefit sharing by different stakeholders in the value chain of Indian mackerel in Karnataka, south-west coast of India. Results of the study indicated that in terms of individual benefits, export processing and canning sectors in Karnataka grabbed a significant share in the Indian mackerel value chain and suggests a revisit into the policy on export incentives for Indian mackerel, in order to ensure equitable distribution of benefits among the stakeholders as well as to protect the interests of domestic consumers