Catch efficiency and selective action of coloured gill nets

Information on the catch efficiency and selective action of coloured gill nets in relation to the reservoir fishes of India are lacking. Authors, in the present studies have attempted to evaluate the comparative catch efficiency of gill nets of four shades viz. yellow, orange, green and blue over the colourless ones, by conducting fishing experiments, in the Govindsagar reservoir. Attempts have also been made to study the preference shown to colours by the four major species of fishes of the reservoir.

Selective release of fatty acids during lipid hydrolysis in frozen-stored milk fish (Chanos chanos)

Lipid hydrolysis and the nature of fatty acids lost as a result of lipid hydrolysis in milk fish (Chanos chanos) during frozen storage at -20°C is discussed in this paper. There was a preferential loss of saturated acids during the first three weeks of storage. This was followed by loss of polyunsaturated acids during the next seven weeks. Sharp decrease in the levels of monounsaturated acids was observed from the 10th week of frozen storage. These observations are due to the preferential hydrolysis of phospholipids with relatively high proportion of saturated acids during the first three weeks, followed by the hydrolysis of phospholipids with high proportions of polyunsaturated fatty acids from the 3rd to the 10th week, and finally, predominant hydrolysis of neutral lipids from the 10th week onwards. Storage of fish in the ice prior to freezing was found to accelerate lipid hydrolysis, especially that of neutral lipids, during frozen storage.

Environmental impact of wild shrimp seed collection with non-selective gears on coastal aquatic biodiversity

Collection of wild tiger shrimp (Penaeus monodon) seed with non-selective gears and its impact upon the coastal aquatic biodiversity has been investigated. Loss of undesired species as by-catch was estimated to be 1,075 individuals for collection of every desired shrimp seed which amounted to be 132 billion in a study area stretching 3 km long coastline of the Sagar Island under the Sunderban Biosphere, West Bengal, India. Non-penaeid shrimp seed and crab larvae accounted to be maximally destroyed as their overall contribution towards the by-catch were 56.5% and 29.44%, respectively. Though, rate of bycatch loss was found to be inversely correlated with the rate of shrimp seed collected per gear (r=-0.82, p<0.05) during the peak season (May-September), the overall relationship between them exhibited a linear relationship (r=0.73, p<0.05). By-catch loss for every shrimp seed collection tended to increase up to a daily collection of 2,500 numbers of shrimp seeds per gear followed by a decline. Coastal aquatic community was maximally damaged when the heterogeneity and stability as reflected by different diversity indices were higher.