The world’s fisheries provide more than 2.6 billion people with at least 20 per cent of their average annual per capita protein intake (FAO, 2007). Globally, fish has been attracting increased attention not only as an item of connoisseur's delight and preferred food for health conscious elite but as a source of employment, livelihood and food security to several millions of poor people in the developing world. Asia contributes to 63.17 per cent of total fish production in the world. However, South Asia's contribution is only 6 per cent. India occupies a prime position amongst South Asian countries in fish production. While Bangladesh (17 per cent), Pakistan (9 per cent), Sri Lanka (3 per cent), Nepal have only small shares, India contributes to 71 per cent in this region (FAO, 2008).
The fishery resources of India is constituted by a large variety of species (nearly 1,570 species of finfishes and about 1,000 species of shellfishes) co-existing in the same grounds (Srinath and Pillai, 2009). Among these, only 200 species of finfishes and shellfishes are commercially important. Important groups of marine fisheries resources of the country and their composition are as follows: (i) Pelagic resources (oil sardine, mackerel, seer fish, tuna, lesser sardine, anchovies and ribbon fishes); (ii) demersal resources (perches, sciaenids, catfishes, polynemids, flat fishes, pomfrets, eels, sharks, skates, rays and fishes which are mainly caught by trawls); (iii) Mid-water resources (Bombay duck, silver-bellies and horse mackerel); (iv) Crustacean resources (prawns, shrimps, lobsters and crabs); (v) Molluscan resources (oysters, mussels, clams, chanks, squids and cuttlefishes); and (vi) Seaweed resources. From this the major contributions are pelagic fishes, mainly clupeids. Clupeids formed more than 20% of marine fish landings in India (38%). The decadal average landings of clupeids increased from 1, 73,299 t in 1950-60 to 7, 39,135 t during 2001-10.
Clupeids represent an important group of pelagic food fishes comprising oilsardines (Sardinella longiceps), lesser sardines (Sardinella albella, Sardinella gibbosa, Sardinella fimbriata and Sardinella sirm), white baits (Stolephorus spp.,Enchrasicholina spp.) and anchovies (Thryssa spp., Setipinna spp. and Coilia spp.).
Oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) remained as the most important single species contributing 13.1% to the total marine fish landings in the country. The estimated landings of oil sardine for 2010 is 4, 03,932 tonnes against 4, 14,767 tonnes in 2009. The clupeids except sardines and shad also contribute major part of fisheries sector.
CLUPEIDS
The Clupeidae (Latin: "sardine") are the family of the herrings, shads, sardines ,hilsa, and menhadens. It includes many of the most important food fishes in the world, commonly farmed and caught for use with fish oil, food and fish meal. Many members of the family have a body protected with shiny cycloid scales (very smooth and uniform scales), a single dorsal fin, with a fusiform body built for quick evasive swimming and pursuit of prey composed of small planktonic animals. Due to their small size, and placement in the lower trophic level of many marine food webs. Clupeids are mostly marine forage fish, although a few species are found in fresh water. No species has scales on the head, and some are entirely scale less. The lateral line is short or absent, and the teeth are unusually small where they are present at all. Clupeids typically feed on plankton, and range from 2 to 75 cm (0.8 to 30 in.) in length. Clupeids spawn huge numbers of eggs (up to 200,000 in some species) near the surface of the water. After hatching, the larvae live among the plankton until they develop a swim bladder and transform into adults. These eggs and fry are not protected or tended to by parents. The adults typically live in large shoals.
ANCHOVIES
Distribution: The anchovies are widely distributed along Indian cost. The Indian anchovies include five genera,Stolephorus, Coilia, Thryssa and Thryssina.That constitute seasonal fisheries almost along the coast of Andhra Pradhesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka and Maharashra.
Production trends: The average annual catch during 1990-2008 was 0.130 million tonne, constituting 10% of the total pelagic fish production in India. The annual landings ranged from 0.105 million tonnes in 1987 to 0.166 million in 1991. Among anchovies, white baits were the most important with current (1990 to 2008) average fish landings of 55,415 tonnes forming 43% of the overall anchovy production of 0.127 tonnes. Grenadier anchovy Coilia dussumieri and Thryssa formed 27% each and Settipinna 3%. The whitebaits formed 60% of the south-east coast and 80% of the south-west coast anchovy production. The grenadier anchovy dominated anchovy fishery in north-west and north-east regions with an average landings of 34,107 tonnes from 1990 to2008.
Whitebaits
The whitebaits are the dominant component of the anchovy landings in India. The white baits that comprise a group of small pelagic fishes belonging to genus stolephorus and Encrasicholina are widely distributed in our waters. This resource contributed on an average 55,415 tonnes(1990 to 2008) forming 2% of the total marine fish landings in the country .Ten species of whitebaits, viz. Encrasicholinadevisi, E.heterolobus, E.punctifer (Stolephorus buccaneeri), Stolephorus andhraensis, S.baganensis(S.macrops), S.commersonii, S.dubiosus, S.indicus, S.insularis and S.waitei(S.bataviensis), have been found to occur in our seas. Among these species, E.devisi, E.punctifer, S.waitei, S.commersonii and S.indicus support the fishery.
Means of exploitation: The major gears employed for exploiting white baits are boat seines, shore-seines, bagnets and gill nets operated mainly by the catamarams and other small country crafts; many of them fitted with outboard motors. Purse-seine, ring seine and trawl nets are also effectively used in fishery. In the south-east and the south-west coasts, the most common gears exploiting whitebaits include boat seines (cod-end stretched mesh size:10mm) and shore sienes (cod-end stretched mesh10-20mm). On the south-west coast gill-net known as netholivala (mesh15mm), is specially employed for whitebaits during main fishing season. The purse-seines (common stretched mesh at the bund ,8-14mm) are operating in Kerala and Karnataka from mechanised boat seines since1970s and ring seines (mini purse seines with a mesh size of 8mm) are operated in plank built boats and dugout canoes fitted with outboard motors since mid-1980s in the southern Karnataka and northern Kerala. The operational depth of these gears ranges from 15-50m.The fishing season for white baits differs from place to place like October- March in Karnataka, July-December in Kerala, April –December in Tamil Nadu and October- March in Andhra Pradhesh. They also exhibit seasonal migration along the west coast moving southwards in April-May and concentrate in the Gulf of Mannar during August-September.
Utilization: Most of the white baits catch is consumed fresh except in times of glut when dried and send sent to interior markets. A small fraction of fresh fish is used as baits in hooks and line fishery. Improvements in cold storage facilities, introduction of artificial dryers and canning in tomato sauce are some of the ways by which better utilization of anchovies could be ensured.
Management: Whitebaits are annually renewable resources and hence their periodic harvest during seasons of abundance is important to make full use of the fisher. Increasing fishing pressure during peak seasons of availability may be a practical option to enhance whitebait’s production in the country. Being a non-target species in most of the gears (except choodavala operated by ring seine units), the effort required to obtain the maximum sustainable yield of whitebaits could be decided only in consideration with stock position of the resources caught in gears. A potential yield of 240,000tonnes was estimated for whitebaits in the EEZ of India.
Thryssa
GOLDEN ANCHOVY
Distribution: The golden anchovy (Coilia dussumieri) , like Bombay-duck, is an endemic resource in Maharashtra and Gujarat along the north-west coast of India. The species exhibit discontinuous distribution and constitutes a fishery in West Bengal and Odisha along with other species (C. ramcarti). It is an important pelagic resource found in association with Bombay-duck and non-penaeid prawns.
Production trends: The golden anchovy (Coilia dussumieri)landings ranged from 36,200 tonnes (1990 ) to 30,795 tonnes in 2008. Analysis of of gearwise data indicates that prior to 1980 in dolnet was the sole gear that contributed to entire catch. The inbcursion of trawlers commenced in 1985in dolnet zone and since then the contribution of trawl catch is on the increase. During 1986-90 trawl and dol contributed 38% and 60%, while during 1996-2000 contribution by former increased to 70% of the total catch. The time series analysis of data on the landings of golden anchovy during the last 15years indicated that a decline in landings.
Management:The management strategies of C.dussumieri cannot be considered in isolation. The species is one among the many components exploited by the dolnet ; the other resources being non penaeid prawns, Bombay-duck ,unicorn cod and juvenile pomfrets. In a multi-species fishery, it would be rather difficult to suggest optimum mesh size for each species. However, the resources is currently underexploited and can sustain increased fishing effort.
SHADS
The Hilsa shad (Hilsa (Tenualosa) ilisha), is well known for its commercial fishery in the northeast i.e., coastal regions of Bangladesh, West Bengal and Orissa. Hilsa shad spends most of its life in the inshore areas of the sea and undertakes extensive migrations ascending the estuaries and rivers for breeding purpose.The spent fish and their progeny migrate down to the river back to the seas. Hilsa shad is widely distributed along the Indian coast. It is delicious and possibly the most highly priced fish in the Indian markets. From 1999-2008, the annual catch of shad increased from 19,456 tonnes in1999 to 59,864 tonnes in 2008 with an average production of 40,810 tonnes. The T. Ilisha alone contributed 82% (average: 33,307 tonnes). The gill-netters contributed the bulk of the shad catches in the north-east coast. The bulk of the fishery is constituted by fish in the size range of 260mm to480mm. The shads other than hilsa shad from fisheries in all regions, particularly in the south-east and north-west regions.
Hilsa (Tenualosa) ilisha
OTHER CLUPEIDS
Among the other clupeids, the wolf-herrings(Chirocentrus dorab) forms a fishery, and contributes about 0.7% to total all-India landings (20,688 tonnes during 2008) of which about 45% comes from north-east coast. Clupeids consisting of species Dussumiera, Escualosa, Ilisha, Nematolosa, Opisthopterus, Pellona, Reconda, Dorosoma and Chanos together accounted for an annual average of 49,248 tonnes during 1990-2008; 1.8% of the total all India landing.
CONCLUSION
Marine capture fisheries is an important source of income for our country. The pelagic fishes like clupeids, mackerel, etc is the major fish resources in our marine zone. Clupeids formed more than 20% of marine fish landings in India (38%).Clupeids represent an important group of pelagic food fishes comprising oilsardines (Sardinella longiceps), lesser sardines (Sardinella albella, Sardinella gibbosa, Sardinella fimbriata and Sardinella sirm), white baits (Stolephorus spp.,Enchrasicholina spp.) and anchovies (Thryssa spp., Setipinna spp. and Coilia spp.). Oil sardine (Sardinella longiceps) remained as the most important single species contributing 13.1% to the total marine fish landings in the country. The fishery of clupeids except sardines also contribute a lot.The whitebaits are the dominant component of the anchovy landings in India. The white baits that comprise a group of small pelagic fishes belonging to genus stolephorus and Encrasicholina are widely distributed in our waters. This resource contributed on an average 55,415 tonnes(1990 to 2008) forming 2% of the total marine fish landings in the country .The golden anchovy (Coilia dussumieri)landings ranged from 36,200 tonnes (1990 ) to 30,795 tonnes in 2008.The Hilsa shad (Hilsa (Tenualosa) ilisha), is well known for its commercial fishery in the northeast. It also belong to clupeids. From 1999-2008, the annual catch of shad increased from 19,456 tonnes in1999 to 59,864 tonnes in 2008 with an average production of 40,810 tonnes. The T. Ilisha alone contributed 82% (average: 33,307 tonnes).
REFERENCE
· Handbook Of Fisheries And Aquaculture (2nded), July 2011, Indian Council Of Agricultural Research, New Delhi.
· E. Vivekanandan, Climate Change and Indian Marine Fisheries, CMFRI, Kochi
· Annual report 2011-12 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi
· Annual report 2012-13 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi
· Annual report 2013-14 Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Kochi
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