Observations on trawl fishing in the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in the vicinity of Mandapam

Abstract

The fishing methods along the south-east coast of India with special reference to the Palk Bay and Gulf of Mannar in the vicinity of Mandapam include the operation of drift gill nets and bottom-set gill nets from plank-built boats, boat seines or bag nets from catamarans, shore seines, hooks and lines and traps, depending on the type of fish available a: a particular locality. Operation of trawl nets from mechanised vessels in this area on a commercial scale is comparatively recent. Though a few small mechanised boats have been conducting trawling operations especially off Rameswaram for the past few years, no systematic survey of the fishing grounds has been carried out nor are the biological data for the commercially important fishes that could be caught in these nets available. During the course of their work on the biology of silver-bellies and prawns of this area. the authors had opportunity to make sose general observations on the catches landed by the I ndo-Norwegian Project medium boats and since such observations are lacking for this area till date, the information gathered during the year 1964 is given in this paper. Although quantitative data are also presented in this account to indicate the general trend, special attention has been paid to the qualitative analyses of the catches through an year since the chief aim of the paper is to provide information on the availability of various species of fish and prawns that could be commercially exploited.