Author(s): Usha Bhagirathan and Harsha K

Abstract: Estuary is one of the most important ecosystems on which many fishermen are dependent for their livelihood. Estuaries harbour many diversified species being the main breeding and feeding grounds for many aquatic species. This paper deals with the design, catch composition, selectivity and by catch characterisation of drift gill nets in the Chettuva estuary. Polyamide (PA) monofilament twine was used for construction of net. Mesh sizes of main webbing of drift gill nets was 30, 35 and 45 mm. The total fleet length varied from 63 to 91 m. A total of 9 species of fish, jelly fishes and crustaceans were recorded in the gill net. Major catch composition of drift gill nets consisted of small pony fish (Leiognathus equulus), Malabar blood snapper (Lutjanus malabaricus), mullet (Mugil cephalus), Spotted butter fish (Scatophagus argus),Pearl spot (Etroplus suratensis), Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), croaker fish (Johnius carutta), climbing perch (Anabas testudineus) and shrimps (Penaeus indicus).

DOI: 10.22271/fish.2025.v13.i1b.3032

Pages: 156-163  |  88 Views  39 Downloads

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