Record Details

Bycatch and discards in stake nets off Kumbalam, Cochin backwaters, India

KRISHI: Publication and Data Inventory Repository

View Archive Info
 
 
Field Value
 
Title Bycatch and discards in stake nets off Kumbalam, Cochin backwaters, India
Not Available
 
Creator Jisha, H.
Thomas, S.N.
Thomson, K.T.
 
Subject Not Available
 
Description Not Available
Stake nets are important gear used for exploiting the brackish water prawn fishery of Kerala. Consequent to the
uncontrolled proliferation of these nets, Govt of Kerala stopped issuing fresh licenses from 1983 onwards to install stake nets. These nets were reported to be a threat to the fishery as huge quantity of juvenile are
caught. Though codend mesh size of the gear was optimized as 24 mm by ICAR-CIFT, the mesh size has been reduced over the years. In this context, an effort has been made to study the catch composition, and bycatch characteristics by selecting 11 stake nets operated off Kumbalam in Cochin backwaters. The species composition and size composition of catch, bycatch and discards were recorded fortnightly for 12 months from January to December 2012. The mesh size of the gear was six mm which is extremely small in size. Prawns constituted 98 per cent of the catch while the rest was crabs and finfishes. Metapebaeus dobsoni was the
dominant prawn species (91%), followed by M. monoceros, Fenneropenaeus indicus, and Penaeus monodon. Finfish catch composed of 38 species representing 24 families and six orders. Species belonging to the genus
Anchoviella, Ambassis, Cynoglossus, Platycephalus and Leiognathus were the commercially important finfishes in the catch. Crabs were represented by Portunus pelagicus and Scylla serrata. Length frequency analysis showed 80% of the catch falling under the term `juveniles’. Finfishes, crabs and juveniles of prawns were grouped under bycatch. Targeted catch formed only 13 per cent of the total catch and the ratio between
targeted catch and bycatch was 1 colon 6. Discards included organisms which had no market value. Mastacembelus armatus, a snake-like fish locally known as thondi was the major species discarded. Stomatopods, bivalves, jelly fish and puffer fish formed the other discards. The present study once again confirms the earlier reports of the devastating effect of the stake nets on the ecosystem. Despite the Expert Committee constituted by Government of Kerala in 2001, recommended, phasing out of the stake nets in the state by 2015, the continued operation of even the unlicensed stake nets; and the use of codend mesh size of six mm are serious problems to be addressed for the sustenance of the brackish water prawn fishery.
Not Available
 
Date 2019-11-25T07:10:50Z
2019-11-25T07:10:50Z
2017-11-21
 
Type Other
 
Identifier Jisha, H.,Thomas, S.N. and Thomson, K.T. (2017) Bycatch and discards in stake nets off Kumbalam, Cochin backwaters, India. In: (Thomas, S.N., Rao, B.M., Madhu, V.R., Asha, K.K., Binsi, P.K., Viji, P., Sajesh, V.K. and Jha, P.N., Eds.) Fostering Innovations in Fisheries and Aquaculture: Focus on Sustainability and Safety – Book of Abstracts, 11th Indian Fisheries and Aquaculture Forum, ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi and Asian Fisheries Society, Indian Branch, 21-24 November, 2017, Kochi, India, pp. 107.
978-81-933623-1-0
http://krishi.icar.gov.in/jspui/handle/123456789/25226
 
Language English
 
Relation Not Available;
 
Publisher ICAR-Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, Kochi and Asian Fisheries Society, Indian Branch