On the occurrence of the juveniles of the Indian mackerel Rastrslliger kanagurta (Cuvier) in the inshore water of Kakinada

Abstract

It is well known that a knowledge of the distribution, abundance and biology of the younger stages of fishes is necessary for a proper understanding of many problems such as spawning period, success or failure of year classes-, population structure etc. Our present knowledge of the distribution of the young of the Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta along the Indian Coasts has been summarised by Rao (1962). He emphasized the importance of collecting additional information on juvenile mackerel as it would enable us to fill up certain lacunae at present existing in our knowledge of the biology of the Indian mackerel. Juvenile mackerel have been reported from the Arabian Sea off the Coasts of Ratnagiri, Karwar, Mangalore, Cannanore, Calicut, Ernakulam and Vizhingam; from the Bay of Bengal off Madras and Visakhapatnam and from the Andaman Sea off Port Blair. (Rao, 1962).