Quantitative changes in bottom trawl landings at Kasimedu, Chennai during 1998-2007

Abstract

During the period 1998-2007, an annual average of 20,898 t of marine resources was landed by trawlers at Kasimedu, Chennai, by expending a mean annual effort of 35,608 units. The annual catch during 1998-2007 showed fluctuations between 12182 t in 2005 and 35,838 t in 2002. The mean annual effort of 13.21 lakh h in 1998 dropped down to 5.08 lakh h in 2007; mean annual catch declined from 36,364 t in 1998 to 17,293 in 2007. Catch per hour (CPH) increased from 27.51 kg in 1998 to 33.98 kg in 2007, in spite of reduction in both. Multiday trawl units which formed only about 8% of the annual operational units during 1989-’91, accounted for 39% and 31% of the operational units in 1998 and 2006, respectively. Seasonal abundance of catch indicated that maximum catch was landed during the third and fourth quarters of the year, which contributed to 34.2% and 25.1% of the annual average catch during 1998- 2007. Demersal finfish resources contributed maximum (38.1%) to the annual average catch during the period 1998-2007 followed by pelagic finfish resources (25.4%), crustacean resources (15.1%) and cephalopods (5.6%). Miscellaneous finfishes and shellfishes accounted for about 15.8% of the catch. The resources that regularly contributed to the bulk of the catch were elasmobranchs, carangids, threadfin breams, silverbellies, ribbonfishes, tunas, goatfishes, lizardfishes, croakers, barracudas, clupeids, whitebaits, snappers, shrimps, crabs and cephalopods.