Padal fishing - a unique fishing method in the Ashtamudi Estuary of Kerala (south India)

Bush park fishing / padal fishing is an indigenous fishing method widely employed in the Ashtamudi estuary of Kerala (south India). An artificial reef made from twigs and leaves of trees is planted in the shallow areas of the estuary. The aim is to harvest fish that find shelter in these structures for the purpose of feeding and breeding. Though the State Department of Fisheries has banned this method of fishing in the inland waters of Kerala, 400 padals are operating in this estuary. About 300 of them are anchored in the western parts of the estuary (west Kayal). Fish are harvested in the padals at monthly intervals almost round the year and this results in the destruction of a sizeable quantity of juveniles and sub-adults of the commercially important fishes, such as Pearl spot and mullets, from the estuary. These padals pose a major threat to the sustainability of the fishery resources of this estuary and, therefore, need to be phased out by providing alternative occupations for the fishermen who are dependant on the padals.

Cathodic protection of the hulls of fishing trawlers in India

Nearly 10,000 mechanised fishing trawlers mostly built of wood and about 100 trawlers built of steel besides a few fiberglass reinforced plastic and a couple of ferro-cement boats constitute the modern fishing fleet of India at present. Metallic corrosion in sea water is a very well-known phenomenon in all ships and various other marine structures; the exact financial loss and the material breakdowns have never been fully realized among the trawler owners in India. The Central Institute of Fisheries Technology at Cochin has been studying these problems for some years and has been able to assess the significance of underwater corrosion particularly of the hull below water line in the trawlers and suitable remedial measures have been suggested in this paper.