Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 2021
Sporadic and seasonal landings of jellyfishes along the southern coast of India have been under i... more Sporadic and seasonal landings of jellyfishes along the southern coast of India have been under investigation since 2018. The catostylid jellyfish Crambionella orsini is the only species that contributes to a fishery in this region. In the October to January months, a seasonal fishery exists along the Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram and Neendakara coast, with catches being made variously by gillnetters, single day trawlers, multi-day trawlers and shore seines. An unprecedented 44 day fishery on the Neendakara coast from December 2020 to January 2021 was investigated in depth, with estimated landings of 453.16 metric tonnes landed at Sakthikulangara and Neendakara Fisheries Harbours in Kollam District, Kerala. Economic efficiency of the fishery from Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour was estimated as 44.76 gross value added as percentage of gross revenue and net operating income of `1313 per fishing trip with average earning to a crew member being `510 per trip. The oral arms of C. orsini is the only part of the jellyfish that are traded and exported, mainly to China and South east Asian countries after salt curing. Emergence of this augmentative fishery has come as a boon to fishers combating the regressive environment of the Covid-19 period. Promotion of this fishery with increased processing and export facilities and investigations into value added products from the resource is recommended.
In domestication and development of captive broodstock of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon mating fai... more In domestication and development of captive broodstock of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon mating failures due to poor performance of male brood stock. To overcome this drawback the effect of the testosterone hormone on the performance of male broodstock was evaluated by injecting the hormone at the rate of 5 µg/g. body weight at 5 days interval in test group against control group for a period of 120 days. In both groups male and female were stocked at 1:1 ratio, each animal was tagged and marked, and were fed with clam and squid meat. Mating success, spermataphore structure and duration of moult cycle were observed and compared between two groups. In test group; mating success/animal in females was significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced (65±17.46% versus 47.4±19.49%); spermatophores were solid and intact than those of soft with fluid material in control group; mean moulting period/ animal of males significantly ( P < 0.01) reduced (20.85±2.37days versus 26.2±4.25 days). Histological s...
A dead specimen of the flesh- footed shearwater Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) was collected on ... more A dead specimen of the flesh- footed shearwater Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) was collected on 21.07.2017 from Paravoor beach, Alappuzha district, Kerala. The bird had a total length of 40 cm (bill tip to tail tip) and a wingspan of 86 cm. The specimen was deposited in the National Designated Repository, ICAR- CMFRI, Kochi under the Accession No. Misc.36. The bird is distinguished from other shearwaters in this area, namely, the Persian shearwater, Audubon’s shearwater, Sooty shearwater, Wedge-tailed shearwater, Short-tailed shearwater and Streaked shearwater by its pale bill with distinct black tips. It also has darker underwings and a shorter rounded tail as compared to other shearwaters of the region. Its flight is described as “a stiff-winged glide interspersed with slow lazy flaps” (Kazmierczak, 2015, A field guide to the birds of the Indian Subcontinent, p.34).
There are eight islands around Karwar in the Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka which are locat... more There are eight islands around Karwar in the Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka which are located between 140 45’ N to 140 55’ N and 740 00’ to 740 07’ 30" E. The Devagad Island, regionally known as Devagadagudda Island, is one such island with a reserve forest that covers 2.5 sq. km. with 41m elevation above Mean Sea Level (MSL). The climate is wet monsoon type, with average total rain fall of around 3000 mm/year and temperature range between 20 0C to 38 0C.
Coastal human communities have been exploiting the sea as a source of food from time immemorial. ... more Coastal human communities have been exploiting the sea as a source of food from time immemorial. Ancient communities have long had codes of conduct, largely undocumented, for judicial use of these bioresources. Some such practices are evident from the understanding of traditions of ancient hunter gatherer communities which have persisted up to modern times. The stone age Onge tribe of the Andamans practice discretion while hunting dugong and sea turtle and never harvest in excess. Examples of fishery conservation are several in Indian history. The edicts of Emporer Ashoka lays out rules for fishing. The fifth inscription of Delhi Shivliks bans activities of fishing and fish selling from Ashadh full moon to Paush full moon, on the days of Pusyankshtr in Paush, full moon, a day before full moon, no moon and both Pratipadas. Fishing permits find mention in Arthashastra of Kutilya as a means to conserve fishery resources.
The sepiolid, Euprymna berryi Sasaki, 1929 has been reported for the first time from the west coa... more The sepiolid, Euprymna berryi Sasaki, 1929 has been reported for the first time from the west coast of India. This species, commonly called as humming-bird bobtail squid, was observed in trawl catches off Mumbai in December 2006-January 2007. It is an upper sublittoral pelagic coastal species occurring up to 60 m depth.
Small trawlers (9-11 m OAL) fit for short-term cruises (2-7 days) exploit penaeid shrimps up to a... more Small trawlers (9-11 m OAL) fit for short-term cruises (2-7 days) exploit penaeid shrimps up to a depth of 70 m in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam both in the northern and southern directions. During the period 2001 to 2010, average annual fishing effort was 5,97,412 h. Penaeid shrimp catch varied from 703 t to 4,323 t with average catch per hour (cph) being 3.54 kg. The contribution of penaeid shrimps to total fish landings ranged from 6.7 to 18.32%, both fishing effort and landings of the resource showing increasing trend. Penaeid shrimp landing was supported by 24 species, dominated by Metapenaeus monoceros followed by Metapenaeus dobsoni. Mean annual species composition and cph for each species were estimated for two spells i.e., 2001 to 2005 and 2006 to 2010. Catch per hour for five species declined whereas it increased for the rest 19 species. The cph for penaeid shrimps increased by 103% from spell 1 to spell 2. Expected catch for each year was estimated by Schaefer production model (CEDA; r 2 =0.72) which showed that the resource was under exploitated during 2001-2005 and overexploited during 2006-2010, which indicate the necessity for restricting fishing effort at present level.
The east coast of India with a coast line of 2,688 km and continental shelf area of about 0.56 mi... more The east coast of India with a coast line of 2,688 km and continental shelf area of about 0.56 million km 2 , provides a good habitat for the penaeid prawns in the adult phase. There are five major perennial rivers, number of creeks and low-lying areas offering nursery grounds for post larvae and juveniles that migrate to the sea after completion of nursery phase to get recruited to the fishery. Though as many as 23 species of penaeids are recorded along the east coast only about 19 species are supporting the regular fishery. Craft&gear Trawl nets are the major gearwhich is exploiting more than 90% of penaeid prawn along the east coast. Trawlers are of different types depending on the size of the boat, engine capacity and size of the gear. These are Pablo (9.14 m), Royya (9.75-10 m), Sorrah (11.4 m) and Sona (13.1 m) boats.The major fishing harbours/ landing centres, which are bases for operation of trawlers are Diamond harbor, Digha, Paradeep, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Chennai, Mand...
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 2016
Gulf of Mannar Ecosystem (GOME) covers an area spread over Rameswaram and Kanyakumari for about 1... more Gulf of Mannar Ecosystem (GOME) covers an area spread over Rameswaram and Kanyakumari for about 19000 km 2 and lies between 78°11'E and 79°15' E longitude and 8°49'N and 9°15'N latitude. The 21 coral islands form a network of habitats for different kinds of fishes and marine organisms. Fish samples were collected during
A new Marine Biodiversity Museum was established at Kochi following the shifting of the headquart... more A new Marine Biodiversity Museum was established at Kochi following the shifting of the headquarters of the Institute from Mandapam to Kochi. The Museum was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Prof. M.S. Swaminathan on 4th February 2006. The museum now holds around 2300 specimens of various categories such as fishes, echinoderms, molluscs, crustaceans, corals, seaweeds etc. These specimens are of fundamental importance to taxonomic, systematic and biodiversity studies. The first catalogue on Marine Biodiversity Museum comprised of specimens belonging to all the groups was published in 2012. The present catalogue prepared by the Marine Biodiversity Division of the Institute is expected to update the present status of the specimens in the museum as on March 2017. I am happy to bring out this catalogue in the year of Platinum Jubilee celebrations of CMFRI (1947-2017). The help and support extended by the previous Directors of CMFRI and Museum-in-charges are gratefully acknowledged. Majority...
The shallow coral reef ecosystems along the Indian coast are being threatened by anthropogenic gl... more The shallow coral reef ecosystems along the Indian coast are being threatened by anthropogenic global ocean warming and increased frequency of coral bleaching in the recent past. Identification and conservation of deeper reef habitats are essential as they serve as a source of larvae and livestock to replenish the shallow reef habitats. Information on the location and spatial extent of the mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) and their biodiversity is poorly known in the continental shelf of the east coast of India. In this study, we have documented the species diversity of MCEs at a depth of 30-40 m off Puducherry along the east coast of India. In total, 12 species of corals, including 5 black corals and 16 octocorals, 4 species of sponges and 31 species of coral-associated benthopelagic fish species were recorded. Subergorgia sp. was the most dominant species of octocorals and found extensively as gorgonian forests. The MCEs reported in this study raise important questions about the origin and connectivity of the coral populations in this region to the other major coral reef ecosystems along the east coast. Understanding the physical processes and hydrographic features around the MCEs, off Puducherry will reveal more information about the distribution and colonization of coral communities and their vulnerability to changes in future.
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 2021
Sporadic and seasonal landings of jellyfishes along the southern coast of India have been under i... more Sporadic and seasonal landings of jellyfishes along the southern coast of India have been under investigation since 2018. The catostylid jellyfish Crambionella orsini is the only species that contributes to a fishery in this region. In the October to January months, a seasonal fishery exists along the Kanyakumari, Thiruvananthapuram and Neendakara coast, with catches being made variously by gillnetters, single day trawlers, multi-day trawlers and shore seines. An unprecedented 44 day fishery on the Neendakara coast from December 2020 to January 2021 was investigated in depth, with estimated landings of 453.16 metric tonnes landed at Sakthikulangara and Neendakara Fisheries Harbours in Kollam District, Kerala. Economic efficiency of the fishery from Sakthikulangara Fisheries Harbour was estimated as 44.76 gross value added as percentage of gross revenue and net operating income of `1313 per fishing trip with average earning to a crew member being `510 per trip. The oral arms of C. orsini is the only part of the jellyfish that are traded and exported, mainly to China and South east Asian countries after salt curing. Emergence of this augmentative fishery has come as a boon to fishers combating the regressive environment of the Covid-19 period. Promotion of this fishery with increased processing and export facilities and investigations into value added products from the resource is recommended.
In domestication and development of captive broodstock of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon mating fai... more In domestication and development of captive broodstock of tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon mating failures due to poor performance of male brood stock. To overcome this drawback the effect of the testosterone hormone on the performance of male broodstock was evaluated by injecting the hormone at the rate of 5 µg/g. body weight at 5 days interval in test group against control group for a period of 120 days. In both groups male and female were stocked at 1:1 ratio, each animal was tagged and marked, and were fed with clam and squid meat. Mating success, spermataphore structure and duration of moult cycle were observed and compared between two groups. In test group; mating success/animal in females was significantly (P < 0.05) enhanced (65±17.46% versus 47.4±19.49%); spermatophores were solid and intact than those of soft with fluid material in control group; mean moulting period/ animal of males significantly ( P < 0.01) reduced (20.85±2.37days versus 26.2±4.25 days). Histological s...
A dead specimen of the flesh- footed shearwater Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) was collected on ... more A dead specimen of the flesh- footed shearwater Ardenna carneipes (Gould, 1844) was collected on 21.07.2017 from Paravoor beach, Alappuzha district, Kerala. The bird had a total length of 40 cm (bill tip to tail tip) and a wingspan of 86 cm. The specimen was deposited in the National Designated Repository, ICAR- CMFRI, Kochi under the Accession No. Misc.36. The bird is distinguished from other shearwaters in this area, namely, the Persian shearwater, Audubon’s shearwater, Sooty shearwater, Wedge-tailed shearwater, Short-tailed shearwater and Streaked shearwater by its pale bill with distinct black tips. It also has darker underwings and a shorter rounded tail as compared to other shearwaters of the region. Its flight is described as “a stiff-winged glide interspersed with slow lazy flaps” (Kazmierczak, 2015, A field guide to the birds of the Indian Subcontinent, p.34).
There are eight islands around Karwar in the Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka which are locat... more There are eight islands around Karwar in the Uttara Kannada District of Karnataka which are located between 140 45’ N to 140 55’ N and 740 00’ to 740 07’ 30" E. The Devagad Island, regionally known as Devagadagudda Island, is one such island with a reserve forest that covers 2.5 sq. km. with 41m elevation above Mean Sea Level (MSL). The climate is wet monsoon type, with average total rain fall of around 3000 mm/year and temperature range between 20 0C to 38 0C.
Coastal human communities have been exploiting the sea as a source of food from time immemorial. ... more Coastal human communities have been exploiting the sea as a source of food from time immemorial. Ancient communities have long had codes of conduct, largely undocumented, for judicial use of these bioresources. Some such practices are evident from the understanding of traditions of ancient hunter gatherer communities which have persisted up to modern times. The stone age Onge tribe of the Andamans practice discretion while hunting dugong and sea turtle and never harvest in excess. Examples of fishery conservation are several in Indian history. The edicts of Emporer Ashoka lays out rules for fishing. The fifth inscription of Delhi Shivliks bans activities of fishing and fish selling from Ashadh full moon to Paush full moon, on the days of Pusyankshtr in Paush, full moon, a day before full moon, no moon and both Pratipadas. Fishing permits find mention in Arthashastra of Kutilya as a means to conserve fishery resources.
The sepiolid, Euprymna berryi Sasaki, 1929 has been reported for the first time from the west coa... more The sepiolid, Euprymna berryi Sasaki, 1929 has been reported for the first time from the west coast of India. This species, commonly called as humming-bird bobtail squid, was observed in trawl catches off Mumbai in December 2006-January 2007. It is an upper sublittoral pelagic coastal species occurring up to 60 m depth.
Small trawlers (9-11 m OAL) fit for short-term cruises (2-7 days) exploit penaeid shrimps up to a... more Small trawlers (9-11 m OAL) fit for short-term cruises (2-7 days) exploit penaeid shrimps up to a depth of 70 m in the Bay of Bengal off Visakhapatnam both in the northern and southern directions. During the period 2001 to 2010, average annual fishing effort was 5,97,412 h. Penaeid shrimp catch varied from 703 t to 4,323 t with average catch per hour (cph) being 3.54 kg. The contribution of penaeid shrimps to total fish landings ranged from 6.7 to 18.32%, both fishing effort and landings of the resource showing increasing trend. Penaeid shrimp landing was supported by 24 species, dominated by Metapenaeus monoceros followed by Metapenaeus dobsoni. Mean annual species composition and cph for each species were estimated for two spells i.e., 2001 to 2005 and 2006 to 2010. Catch per hour for five species declined whereas it increased for the rest 19 species. The cph for penaeid shrimps increased by 103% from spell 1 to spell 2. Expected catch for each year was estimated by Schaefer production model (CEDA; r 2 =0.72) which showed that the resource was under exploitated during 2001-2005 and overexploited during 2006-2010, which indicate the necessity for restricting fishing effort at present level.
The east coast of India with a coast line of 2,688 km and continental shelf area of about 0.56 mi... more The east coast of India with a coast line of 2,688 km and continental shelf area of about 0.56 million km 2 , provides a good habitat for the penaeid prawns in the adult phase. There are five major perennial rivers, number of creeks and low-lying areas offering nursery grounds for post larvae and juveniles that migrate to the sea after completion of nursery phase to get recruited to the fishery. Though as many as 23 species of penaeids are recorded along the east coast only about 19 species are supporting the regular fishery. Craft&gear Trawl nets are the major gearwhich is exploiting more than 90% of penaeid prawn along the east coast. Trawlers are of different types depending on the size of the boat, engine capacity and size of the gear. These are Pablo (9.14 m), Royya (9.75-10 m), Sorrah (11.4 m) and Sona (13.1 m) boats.The major fishing harbours/ landing centres, which are bases for operation of trawlers are Diamond harbor, Digha, Paradeep, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Chennai, Mand...
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of India, 2016
Gulf of Mannar Ecosystem (GOME) covers an area spread over Rameswaram and Kanyakumari for about 1... more Gulf of Mannar Ecosystem (GOME) covers an area spread over Rameswaram and Kanyakumari for about 19000 km 2 and lies between 78°11'E and 79°15' E longitude and 8°49'N and 9°15'N latitude. The 21 coral islands form a network of habitats for different kinds of fishes and marine organisms. Fish samples were collected during
A new Marine Biodiversity Museum was established at Kochi following the shifting of the headquart... more A new Marine Biodiversity Museum was established at Kochi following the shifting of the headquarters of the Institute from Mandapam to Kochi. The Museum was inaugurated by Padma Vibhushan Prof. M.S. Swaminathan on 4th February 2006. The museum now holds around 2300 specimens of various categories such as fishes, echinoderms, molluscs, crustaceans, corals, seaweeds etc. These specimens are of fundamental importance to taxonomic, systematic and biodiversity studies. The first catalogue on Marine Biodiversity Museum comprised of specimens belonging to all the groups was published in 2012. The present catalogue prepared by the Marine Biodiversity Division of the Institute is expected to update the present status of the specimens in the museum as on March 2017. I am happy to bring out this catalogue in the year of Platinum Jubilee celebrations of CMFRI (1947-2017). The help and support extended by the previous Directors of CMFRI and Museum-in-charges are gratefully acknowledged. Majority...
The shallow coral reef ecosystems along the Indian coast are being threatened by anthropogenic gl... more The shallow coral reef ecosystems along the Indian coast are being threatened by anthropogenic global ocean warming and increased frequency of coral bleaching in the recent past. Identification and conservation of deeper reef habitats are essential as they serve as a source of larvae and livestock to replenish the shallow reef habitats. Information on the location and spatial extent of the mesophotic coral ecosystems (MCEs) and their biodiversity is poorly known in the continental shelf of the east coast of India. In this study, we have documented the species diversity of MCEs at a depth of 30-40 m off Puducherry along the east coast of India. In total, 12 species of corals, including 5 black corals and 16 octocorals, 4 species of sponges and 31 species of coral-associated benthopelagic fish species were recorded. Subergorgia sp. was the most dominant species of octocorals and found extensively as gorgonian forests. The MCEs reported in this study raise important questions about the origin and connectivity of the coral populations in this region to the other major coral reef ecosystems along the east coast. Understanding the physical processes and hydrographic features around the MCEs, off Puducherry will reveal more information about the distribution and colonization of coral communities and their vulnerability to changes in future.
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