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Mudbanks and fisheries along the Kerala coast – myth and reality

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Relation http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/13096/
 
Title Mudbanks and fisheries along the
Kerala coast – myth and reality
 
Creator Prasanna Kumar, S
Dinesh Kumar, P K
Muraleedharan, K R
George, Grinson
Mathew, Dayana
Kripa, V
Jeyabaskaran, R
Ramaiah, N
Gopalakrishnan, A
Naqvi, S W A
 
Subject Marine Fisheries
 
Description Mudbanks, a unique coastal oceanographic phenomenon
occurring along the southwest (SW) coast of India
during the SW monsoon season, are synonymous with
the fishery of this region. Here we examine the validity
of the popular notion that mudbanks directly support
rich fisheries, using a high temporal resolution
water column data collected from the Alappuzha
mudbank region in Kerala during April to September
2014, in conjunction with fisheries data. Our study
reveals that the upwelling which occurs during the
SW monsoon season along this coast brings oxygendeficient
subsurface water to the upper water column.
Escaping the oxygen-depleted waters, the fish aggregate
within a thin upper layer allowing easy visual
identification and capture of fish shoals. This process
occurs throughout the coast and is not confined just to
the mudbanks. Mudbank being a calm region, traditional
fishermen using non-motorized country craft
were able to carry out fishing within this region only
during the SW monsoon. With the induction of
motorized and mechanized fishing, the link between
mudbanks and fisheries is becoming less prominent,
although the former still continue to be important fish
landing centres.
 
Publisher Current Science Association
 
Date 2018
 
Type Article
NonPeerReviewed
 
Format text
 
Language en
 
Identifier http://eprints.cmfri.org.in/13096/1/Jeyabaskaran_Current%20science_Mudbank_2018.pdf
Prasanna Kumar, S and Dinesh Kumar, P K and Muraleedharan, K R and George, Grinson and Mathew, Dayana and Kripa, V and Jeyabaskaran, R and Ramaiah, N and Gopalakrishnan, A and Naqvi, S W A (2018) Mudbanks and fisheries along the Kerala coast – myth and reality. Current Science, 115 (4). pp. 773-778.