Unusual landings of the deep-sea lobster, Palinustus waguensis in Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour

Unusual landing of Deepsea lobster Palinustus waguensis was observed at Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour at Kollam on 15.01.2019 along with the catch of deep-sea shrimps. An estimated catch of 100 kg of P.waguensis was landed in multiday shrimp trawls operated at a depth of 200-250 m, during the first two weeks of January 2019. Since the inception of deepsea shrimp landings, this species was observed in stray numbers and this is the first time a landing of this magnitude was observed. The lobster was sold in local market @ 150-200 ₹ per kg for domestic consumers. Distribution of this species is reported in the Indo-west pacific region (India, Thailand, Philippines, Japan) at a depth range of 100 to 180 m. The lobsters randomly sampled ranged from 81 to 154 mm each in total length and having 15.3 to75.7 grams weigh

Reproduction in the deep-sea penaeoid shrimp Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938 (Decapoda: Penaeoidea: Aristeidae) from southwestern India

The Arabian red shrimp, Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938, is one of the targets of commercial trawlers operating since 2000 along the Indian coasts at depths of 200–850 m. We report for the first time on the reproductive biology, insemination frequency, ovarian maturation, gonadosomatic index (GSI), size at maturity, and fecundity of A. alcocki investigated macroscopically and validated histologically using monthly trawl samples from the southwestern coast of India. Females have an open thelycum with five gonad developmental stages (I to V) and two stages (I and II) in males. A total of 4,170 specimens were examined and 68.6% of the females had been inseminated (carapace length (CL) 22.0–53.0 mm), predominantly during January to May. Females in stage I (immature) measured on average CL 25.5 ± 0.87 mm, those in stages IV and V (mature) CL 41.5 ± 0.62 mm. Immature males were smaller, mean CL 20.5 ± 0.5 mm. Size at first sexual maturity for females was estimated as CL 35.07 mm (total length (TL) 120–170 mm) and the inseminated specimens (CL50is) were mature at CL 31.45 mm using a non-linear method. The smallest mature female was CL 35 mm, whereas the size at maturity (CL50ms) of males was estimated as CL 19.6 mm (TL 75–96 mm). We also report synchronous oocyte development and continuous spawning activity with a peak during January to April. Information on the reproduction of this deep-water shrimp will help fishery managers estimate the stock sustainability and develop resource management measures

A brief note on portunid crab, Charybdis (Goniohellenus) omanensis septentrionalis from southwest coast of India

Crustacean Fisheries Division of ICAR-CMFRI, has recently taken up a two year programme on experimental trawling using fishing vessel F.V. Silver Pompano. Samples were collected from different bathymetric stations off Kochi and Alappuzha during fortnightly intervals. Samples in the last fortnight of August 2016, collected at a depth of 65m off Alappuzha, included a good number of Charybdis (Goniohellenus) smithii along with fishes and other crustaceans. While segregating the samples of swarming crab C. (G.) smithii, approximately 5 kg of small sized Charybdis sp. was also collected. This species was not included in the earlier samplings of the programme as well as in the commercial fishery landings. Hence detailed studies were carried out and found the species is C.(G.) omanensis septentrionalis, a new record in the Indian seas

Observations on the monsoon prawn fishery in Kerala

The ban on trawling in Kerala from June 15th to July 30th coincides with the southwest monsoon. During the period fishermen venture into the sea with their traditional/motorised crafts and gears such as thermocol boats (Alapuzha) and Thanguvallom (Ernakulam and Thrissur). The latter is operated with outboard engines and operate up to 8 km from the shore. The thermocol boats fish very near the shore (up to 3 km). The gear operated are ring seines or thangu vala and gill nets. The unique phenomenon in the monsoon season known as mud-bank or ‘chakara’ is characterised by calm areas close to the shore

New record of right eyed deep-sea flat fish Poecilopsetta colorata Gunther, 1880 (Pleuronectiformes: Pleuronectidae) from the Arabian Sea

Here, the new record of deep-sea flat fish Poecilopsetta colorata Gunther, 1880 from Arabian Sea along the Indian coast is reported. The four individual specimens were collected from Sakthikulangara fish landing center (fishing off Kollam 8°56'60.78" N; 76°32'34.27" E) obtained from deep-sea bottom trawlers between 200 and 300 m depth along the southwest coast of India in February 2019 and the voucher specimen is deposited in the Marine Biodiversity Referral Museum at Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. The genus Poecilopsetta Günther, 1880 is reported to have moderate diversity with 15 species inhabiting the deepsea waters. The intraspecies genetic distance in the COI gene of P. colorata retrieved from NCBI revealed 0.0 – 1.4 %; while interspecies distance ranged from 1.7 to 9.6 %

Prevalence and determinants of substance use among indigenous tribes in South India: Findings from a tribal household survey

Background: Indigenous populations have higher substance use than non-indigenous populations. Current evidence on indigenous substance use is largely derived from national household surveys, while there are no specifically designed, culturally specific methodological studies available to determine the prevalence of substance abuse among the indigenous tribes. The present study examined the prevalence and predictors of alcohol use, smoking, and betel quid chewing among indigenous tribes in South India. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional population-based random survey of 2186 tribal households in the Wayanad District, Kerala. A self-prepared, pilot-tested structured interview schedule was used to collect information on sociodemographic variables and substance use. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to examine the sociodemographic predictors of substance use. Results: The overall prevalence of current alcohol use, current smoking and daily betel quid use was 17.2%, 18.8% and 47.6% respectively. Consistently, male gender (alcohol use OR = 13.55; smoking OR = 3.42; betel quid use OR = 1.65), increasing age (OR = 1.32; OR = 1.01; OR = 1.03), Paniya tribe status (OR = 2.24; OR = 1.39; OR = 5.38) and employment status being working (OR = 2.07; OR = 1.77; OR = 1.26) increased the risk of alcohol use, smoking and betel quid chewing. Furthermore, having ‘no formal education’ was associated with smoking (OR = 1.35), and betel quid chewing (OR = 3.27). Conclusion: Substance use was high among the indigenous tribes. The male gender, increasing age, Paniya tribe and working status significantly influenced alcohol use, smoking and betel quid chewing. The results underscore the need for indigenous specific de-addiction policies and programmes, alongside a consideration of the critical sociodemographic predictors

Stock structure analysis of ‘Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938 (Decapoda: Aristeidae)’ in the Indian coast with truss network morphometrics

The Arabian red shrimp (Aristeus alcocki Ramadan, 1938) is a deep-sea penaeoid shrimp that forms a major commercial fishery in the Indian coast. However, the spawning population of this species along the Indian coast is poorly known. To study this, stock structure of A. alcocki using truss morphometry was employed. A total of 1842 matured specimens were collected from five geographical locations (Tuticorin (SET), Chennai (SEC), Nagapattianam (SEN), Sakthikulangara (SWS), and Kalamuku (SWK)) along the Indian coast. Thirty-nine truss distances were extracted from each specimen and analyzed by multivariate methods (i.e., principal component analysis (PCA), discriminant functions (DF), and hierarchical cluster analysis). The results of the PCA indicated that the first two components cumulatively explained >70% (female: 72.1%; male: 71.5%) of the total morphometric variation. Stepwise DF analysis indicated that abdominal variables significantly discriminated the populations at different locations. The results clustered the five samples into a minimum of two groups: samples from SWK clustered in group I, whereas rest of the samples clustered in group II. Morphometric variation between the groups was significant for each sex. Significant differences between the groups may be attributed to geographical and environmental conditions, suggesting separate management strategies for resource sustainability

Note on the shoal of Priacanthus hamrur caught during experimental trawling

During the experimental fishing conducted by F V Silver pompano on 10th November 2016, a shoal of bullseye Priacanthus hamrur, weighing 1.5 t, was caught at 65-70 m depth off Alappuzha coast (90 25' 51'’ N, 750 58' 49'’ E). The shrimp trawl net with cod end mesh size of 20 mm was operated for an hour and the total catch comprised of P. hamrur (99%) and Uroteuthis (Photololigo) duvaucelii (1%)

New records of decapod crustaceans from the Arabian Sea, southwest coast of India

Deep-sea lobster Polycheles typhlops Heller, 1862 and two squat lobsters Munidopsis scobina Alcock, 1894 and Paramunida bineeshi Macpherson, Chan, Kumar and Rodriguez-Flores, 2020 belonging to the family Polychelidae, Munidopsidae and Munididae respectively forms the new records from the Arabian sea along the southwest coast of India. Samples were obtained from the commercial bottom trawlers at a depth of 200–300 m operated off Sakthikulangara fishing harbour (8°56’60.78” N / 76°32’34.27” E) from the Arabian Sea, Kerala, India, from January to December 2020. DNA barcoding and phylogenetic analysis with mitochondrial gene sequencing were used to explore the genetic distances within the genera Polycheles, Munidopsis and Paramunida revealing high interspecies genetic divergence

Brief note on the ribbonfish Tentoriceps cristatus from the southwest coast of India

Tentoriceps cristatus (Klunzinger, 1884) commonly called as crested hair tail is a monotypic genus of cutlassfish family Trichiuridae. During the experimental fishery survey conducted by FV Silver pompano on 28 September 2016, specimens were obtained in the trawl net operated off Alappuzha (09º 21'N, 75º 56'E and 09º 21'N, 76º 18' E) at a depth of 50- 60m along with other fishes and crustaceans