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Bycatch in Indian trawl fisheries and some suggestions for trawl bycatch mitigation


Affiliations
1 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
 

Globally, trawl is the major fishing gear used in marine fisheries and in India, it contributes to more than one-third of the marine fish production. Trawl fishing has been critically evaluated from a sustainability perspective, especially analysing its bycatch composition. Most of the bycatch from trawlers contains valuable edible species with high market demand. However, a portion of the bycatch which does not have such demand in the edible fish market, known as low-value bycatch (LVB), continues to be a matter of concern from an ecological and economic perspective. During 2017–19, 30–60% of trawl landing in India was constituted by LVB, which was mainly used for fishmeal preparation. To enhance the value and utility of LVB, this study explores the possibility of converting waste from LVB into edible resources using pufferfish and triggerfish. It also highlights the positive impact of efforts by different Government agencies for bycatch mitigation like the implementation of minimum legal size in reducing the juvenile component in bycatch, with a social survey-based account of fisher’s perceptions and suggestions on successful bycatch mitigation

Keywords

Ecological impacts, fishery economics, low-value bycach, minimum legal size, trawl.
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  • Bycatch in Indian trawl fisheries and some suggestions for trawl bycatch mitigation

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Authors

A. P. Dineshbabu
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Sujitha Thomas
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Josileen Jose
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
P. T. Sarada
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Lakshmi Pillai
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Rekha Devi Chakraborty
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Gyanranjan Dash
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Anulekshmi Chellappan
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Shubhadeep Ghosh
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
G. B. Purushottama
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Rajan Kumar
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
M. Rajkumar
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Indira Divipala
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
D. Nakhava Ajay
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
R. Ratheeshkumar
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
K. V. Akhilesh
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
V. Mahesh
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Swathipriyanka Sen
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Rajesh Pradhan
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Shikha Rahangdale
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
R. Vinothkumar
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
Shoba Joe Kizhakudan
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
K. M. Rajesh
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
R. Narayanakumar
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
P. S. Swathilekshmi
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
S. S. Raju
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
G. Maheswarudu
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India
M. Sivadas
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi 682 018, India, India

Abstract


Globally, trawl is the major fishing gear used in marine fisheries and in India, it contributes to more than one-third of the marine fish production. Trawl fishing has been critically evaluated from a sustainability perspective, especially analysing its bycatch composition. Most of the bycatch from trawlers contains valuable edible species with high market demand. However, a portion of the bycatch which does not have such demand in the edible fish market, known as low-value bycatch (LVB), continues to be a matter of concern from an ecological and economic perspective. During 2017–19, 30–60% of trawl landing in India was constituted by LVB, which was mainly used for fishmeal preparation. To enhance the value and utility of LVB, this study explores the possibility of converting waste from LVB into edible resources using pufferfish and triggerfish. It also highlights the positive impact of efforts by different Government agencies for bycatch mitigation like the implementation of minimum legal size in reducing the juvenile component in bycatch, with a social survey-based account of fisher’s perceptions and suggestions on successful bycatch mitigation

Keywords


Ecological impacts, fishery economics, low-value bycach, minimum legal size, trawl.

References





DOI: https://doi.org/10.18520/cs%2Fv123%2Fi11%2F1372-1380