Belly depth studies for shrimp trawls - Part II

The paper details further experiments conducted for a reduction in the depth of belly of a 13.69 m (45') four seam shrimp trawl net. The investigations have given conclusive evidence that the optimum depth of belly for this particular trawl design should be 70 meshes.

Gill-damage in netted Tilapia mossambica Peters

Tilapia mossambica taken with gill-nets are often found with their gills damaged. Gill-filaments may be partly or completely lost; sometimes even the gill-arches are all missing (Plate IA). The operculum is usually undamaged but may have its posteroventral border slightly frayed (Plate IB). For comparison normal fish are shown in Plates IC and ID. Incidence of gill-damage increases rapidly with length of time the nets remain in the water; in the Parakrama Samudra a mere 2-3 hour interval between setting and lifting results in 5 to 20% of the fish being damaged.

Belly depth studies for shrimp trawls - Part III

Earlier investigations with 13.69 m (45') four seam shrimp trawl indicated the optimum depth of belly to be 70 meshes. Present communication details further experiments on similar lines with a bigger shrimp trawl of size 17.07 m (56') without overhang. The results obtained have not only given corroborating evidence in support of the earlier findings but also helped in arriving at a relationship that for a given stretched width of belly ‘L’ the stretched depth of belly could be either 2L/5 or 40% of ‘L’ with an allowance of ± 2 meshes.

Height-depth (breadth) relationship of shells in the backwater oyster Crassostrea madrasensin (Preston) of the Cochin harbour

A study of the height-depth relation in the Indian backwater oyster Crassostrea madrasensis (Preston) was carried out. The plot of height against depth showed an exponential trend and a relationship of the form H = ADB. Plot of height against depth also showed larger deviations in height for oysters with greater depth. Analysis showed that variations in height do not result in corresponding variations in depth, particularly in oysters with increased height.