Investigations on unexplored brachyurans (Decapoda), Charybdis hoplites (Wood-Mason, 1877) and Charybdis smithii MacLeay, 1838, from trawl discards of the Southeast Arabian Sea ecosystem

Abstract

The effectiveness of GIS-based resource mapping to strengthen the database for Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM), was tested in an attempt at resolving the existing gap in the data on non-commercial resources. In this paper we describe the result of that try by giving an example of one of the most important influential species in the benthic ecosystem of the Southeast Arabian Sea (SEAS). An estimated 2803 t of Charybdis hoplites, a relatively little known species from the coast, are yearly caught and discarded by trawlers operating from the Mangalore fisheries harbour. A GIS-aided study on distribution and abundance estimated, that the average biomass of the species is 322.7 t, at any time in the area covered. This study brings out the fact that a number of non-commercial biota are serving as non-detectable factors in sustaining productivity. The identification of their role and the quantification of their biomass thus constitute important data for an effective implementation of EBFM.