Deepwater prawns and lobsters off the Kerala coast

Majority of the prawn catch of the Kerala coast comes from the inshore regions within the 10 fathom line. A bottom deposit formed of fine mud rich in humus is found to be the ideal condition for the penaeid prawns. Similarly the lobster is observed in large numbers at localised areas very near the coast in the crevices of rocks. Though it has been observed that prawns and lobsters exist in deep water as well under different conditions, our knowledge about these forms along the Indian coasts is very scanty, being restricted to the works of Spence Bate, Alcock, De Man and Ramadan. Recently, during the cruises of the University Research Vessel Conch off the Kerala Coast (1958-1963) two species of deep water prawns and one species of lobster were collected from depths 100 - 180 fathoms. Of these, Penaeopsis philippi is found in large numbers occupying an almost continuous bed extending from Anjengo to Mangalore, while P. rectacutus has a restricted appearance between Cochin and Calicut. However, some sort of year to year variation has also been observed regarding the abundance of the species at various stations. Peurulus sewelli has a more restricted distribution, the maximum number being found between Puvar and Cochin. Attempt has been made to correlate the occurrence of the species with the hydrological conditions at the bottom and the nature of the substratum. It is observed that Peurulus sewelli occupies a more or less hard bed formed of sand with shell fragments or stones and small percentage of silt, the bottom temperature at the stations varying from 11°C to l4°C. P. sewelli is a more or less permanent inhabitant of the edge of the continental shell off the Kerala Coast worthy of attention for detailed investigation with a view to explore the possibilities of commercial exploitation.

Comparative fishing ability and economic efficiency of mechanised trawlers operating along the Kerala coast

This study was undertaken with a view to finding out the comparative fishing ability and economic performance of different fishing vessel sizes 9.15m (30'), 9.76m (32') and 10.97m (36') designed by the Central Institute of Fisheries Technology and operating along the Kerala coast. Data were collected from selected vessels of these sizes for four consecutive fishing seasons from 1964-65 to 1967-68. The catch/unit effort and total effort per year for the 10.97m (36') vessels were much better than those for the 9.76m (32') vessels. The yearly landings and the crew remuneration for the former were about twice those of the 9.76m (32') vessels. The economic efficiency of the 10.97m (36') vessels was also much better. The decline in landings per year in both size groups was more due to the reduction in the effort per year than the decline in catch/unit effort.

Fish and shell fish fauna of the retting and nonretting zones of the Kadinamkulam kayal, Kerala

Retting of coconut husk is one of the major problems of pollution in the estuaries (kayals) of Kerala. Retting activity has resulted in the mass destruction of the flora and fauna and has converted sizeable sections of the kayal into virtual cesspools of foul smelling stagnant waters. Levels of hydrogen sulphide, phosphate and BOD, increased while dissolved oxygen and fish and shellfish fauna decreased in the ambient waters. In the Kadinamkulam kayal a total of 37 species of fishes belonging to 26 families, 5 species of prawn and 2 species each of crabs and molluscs were recorded from the no retting zone, whereas only 20 species of fish in dead condition were collected from the rating zone. Prawns, crabs and molluscs were absent at the vetting zone. Majority of the fish fauna in the kayal were marine forms.

Semi-intensive shrimp farming system of Kerala, India: a production function analysis

An analysis of the factor-product relationship in the semi-intensive shrimp farming system of Kerala, farm basis and hectare basis, we are attempted and the results reported in this paper. The Cobb-Douglas model, in which the physical relationship between input and output is estimated, and the marginal analysis then employed to evaluate the producer behaviour, was used for the analysis. The study was based on empirical data collected during November 1994 to May 1996, covering three seasons, from 21 farms spread over Alappuzha, Ernakulam and Kasaragod districts of the state. The sample covered a total area of 61.06 ha. Of the 11 explanatory variables considered in the model, the size of the farm, casual labour and chemical fertilizers were found statistically significant. It was also observed that the factors such as age of pond, experience of the farmer, feed, miscellaneous costs, number of seed stocked and skilled labour contributed positively to the output. The estimated industry production function exhibited unitary economies of scale. The estimated mean output was 3937 kg/ha. The test of multi-co-linearity showed that there is no problem of dominant variable. On the basis of the marginal product and the given input-output prices, the optimum amounts of seed, feed and casual labour were estimated. They were about 97139 seed, 959 kg of feed and 585 man-days of casual labour per farm. This indicated the need for reducing the stocking density and amount of feed from the present levels, in order to maximise profit. Based on the finding of the study, suggestions for improving the industry production function are proposed.

Voluntary guidelines for securing sustainable small-scale fisheries in the context of food security and poverty eradication: summary

The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) were adopted by member countries of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and were officially approved as an international instrument in June 2014. What is very special about the SSF Guidelines is that it was created as a result of a very long history of the struggles of small-scale fishworkers around the world appealing for greater recognition of their status and their role in the fisheries sector of their countries. These Guidelines have 100 paragraphs which are distributed across 13 sections. This document is only a summation of the contents of the Guidelines. It was produced for ICSF by John Kurien, founder Member of ICSF, who has worked for the last four decades with small-scale fishing communities in many areas around the world, particularly in Kerala, India.

Microhabitat breadth of fish community along the Vamanapuram River, south Kerala

The microhabitat breadth of Vamanapuram River fish community was studied in detail. The microhabitat variables selected were relative depth, focal point velocity, water column depth, mean water velocity and substrate. Puntius filamentosus had the highest breadth in three dimensions in both stream and river habitats showing a generalistic mode of resource utilization. Garra mullya, Labeo dero and Glossogobius giuris are specialists in the usage of microhabitat variables in the stream habitat while these are G. mullya, Etroplus maculatus and Aplocheilus lineatus in river habitat. Danio aequipinnatus showed extreme variations along focal point velocity variable in both habitats indicating an. opportunistic behaviour.

Morphological overlap of fish community in Vamanapuram River, south Kerala

The morphological characteristics and overlap of fish community in Vamanapuram River have been studied in detail. In the 12 study sites, 19 fish species were encountered. Based on the body shape, four different types are apparent. The elongate bodied fishes (RBD<1.5) like Hemiramphus xanthopterus and Xenentodon cancila are grouped under one category. The deep bodied fishes (RBD>3.5) like Puntius filamentosus, P. ticto, P. vittatus, P. melanampyx, P. sarana, Etroplus maculatus and E. suratensis come under a separate category. Fishes with round to square cross section like Garra mullya and Glossogobius giuris form a separate group. All the other species are grouped as generalized bodied fishes. The morphological overlap studied for the Vamanapuram fish community showed that out of 190 combinations, 30 combinations have high overlaps (≥ 67). P. melanampyx has maximum number (6) of high overlaps. Puntius spp., which constituted 49.5% of the total population, have a mean morphological overlap of 52%. The morphological overlap of fish species in relation to the trophic structure is discussed in detail.

Diel feeding chronology of six fish species in Anchuthengu backwater, Kerala

The study examined diel feeding chronology of six fish species in Anchuthengu backwater, Kerala. Over the 24h period, more or less same items contributed to the diet of Arius arius. Mugil cephalus exhibited substantial diel variation in diet composition, with algae forming the main dietary component in the diurnal diet, and prawns in the crepuscular and nocturnal diets. Algae and rotifers formed the main food items throughout the 24h feeding period in Hyporhamphus xanthopterus. No change was noticed in the diel diet composition in Ambassis commersonii. While Caranx ignobilis showed no diel variation, Gerrus lucidus that feeds on a variety of prey items seemed to exhibit some diel variation in feeding. All the fish examined had diurnal feeding peaks. The results indicate that because of diel variation in diet composition and feeding periodicity for these six species, dietary analysis conducted at only one interval would not provide an accurate representation of the diet of these species.

Phytoplankton diversity and primary production in Poonthura estuary, south Kerala

Seasonal variations in the phytoplankton density, diversity, gross production and related physicochemical parameters of Poonthura estuary have been followed for a period of one year. The polluted nature of the water body favored a higher density of phytoplankters, which exhibited a positive correlation with gross production. The influence of various physicochemical parameters, phytoplankton density and species diversity on gross production is discussed.

A bioeconomic analysis of sustainability of marine fish production in Kerala

The study has been undertaken in Kerala State in India with an overall objective of analyzing the bio-economic conditions of commercially exploited marine fishes for assessing their sustainability in the context of existing management practices. Maximum sustainable yield, maximum economic yield and open access levels of yield and effort were analyzed using Gompertz-Fox growth model. The study concluded that the fishing effort exceeded the economically optimal levels and there is unnecessary wastage of money, manpower and fuel in the fishing industry. The study stressed the urgent need for capture fisheries management in the State which at present follows an open access fishery where regulations exist only in the form of seasonal closure in the monsoon season.

The effect of increase in the number of fishing trips on the economic efficiency of 9.82 m and 11 m fishing trawlers along Kerala coast

Cost-benefit analysis of a 9.82 m and 11 m fishing trawlers based on the number of fishing trips is presented. The number of fishing trips per year determines the profit and loss of the trawler. With the increase in the number of fishing trips, the profit also increase for both the sizes of trawlers. The minimum quantity of prawn and fish to be landed for 0-20% profit for varying number of fishing trips are worked out. The break-even for 9.82 and 11m trawlers was observed to be 185 and 210 fishing trips respectively during 1980-81.

Training needs of traditional marine fishermen in Kerala

Training needs of 80 fishermen in 25 subject areas revealed a mean training need score of 23.0l; 95% wanted to get trained. The training needs were fairly strong in all subject areas, with the highest demand being for fishery engineering. Training need was also high for areas related to fishery technology. Most of the fishermen preferred to have the training at their own village, and in the months of June or July for an average period of 20.85 days. Education and income were positively related to intensity of training needs whereas age, number of family members, number of employed family members and experience in fishing were negatively correlated with it. These six variables explained 27 of the variance in training need intensity.

Morphometric and meristic studies of the spotted estuarine prawn, Macrobrachium equidens (Dana) of Vembanad Lake, Kerala State

The paper reports on the statistical analysis of growth pattern and meristic studies of body parts of the spotted estuarine prawn, Macrobrachium equidens (Dana) of Vembanad Lake, Kerala State. The results showed that the growth pattern of carapace length, telson length, ischium length and dactylus length in relation to total length were significantly different between the sexes at slope itself (at 1% level) and growth pattern of abdominal length, merus length, carpus length, propodus length and palm length were significant at elevations (5%, 1% levels). The average sizes of all these characters were greater in males than in females. Regression equations have been calculated for the characters and presented in the text. Among the characters of the carapace, rostrum length, post-orbital length showed significant difference between sexes at 1% level (slope value) and width of carapace at 1% level (elevations). The average sizes of all these characters were higher in males. Among the meristic characters studied, the species exhibited sexual dimorphism with regard to dorsal teeth, post-orbital teeth and ventral teeth. The fundamental data generated is essential for establishing the species status as well as it is useful for making comparison with other species.

Integrated Management for Sustainable Development of Coastal Zones – A Gis Based Study on the Central Kerala Coast

The present study focuses on the stability of the coast, exploitation of the coastal resources, human activities within the study are that extends from Fort Cochin at north to Thottappally at south, central Kerala State and hinterlands, socio-economic problems of the coastal community and the environmental issues arising in the recent past due to human activities. The objective of the study is critically analyse the coastal zone region and prevailing situation and to propose a comprehensive management plan for the sustainable development of the region under study. The thesis covers varied aspects of coastal uses like fisheries, tourism, land use, water resources etc. To critically examine the above scenarios, the ILWIS (Integrated Land and Water Information Systems) – GIS software has been used. A satellite image of the area has been used for the coastline change detection and land use patterns. The outcome of the present study will be beneficial to the various stakeholders within the coastal region and its hinterlands. To further add, this study should find better applications to similar or near-similar situations of Southeast Asia where identical scenarios are noticeable.

Prospects of Marketing the Indigenous Ornamental Fishes of Kerala

In this study prospects of marketing the indigenous ornamental fishes of kerala, point out that the export market, consumer preferences in the domestic ornamental fishes, SWOT (strength weakness opportunities and threats) analysis etc. The study notes that the product indigenous ornamental fishes are mostely marketed by exporters and suppliers rather than the retail aquarium shopkeepers. The research findings on the attributes of indigenous ornamental fishes that matches customers preference in aquarium fish.SWOT analysis was carried out to classify the results of the study into strengths,weakness,opportunities and threats faced by the ornamental fish industry in kerala. The marketers in the study show less market perception compaired to the exporters of India. Rather than market survey, interest and experience and raw materials availability inspires them. The developments for large scale marketing have to be carried out, ensuring the sustainable exploitation of the wild fish population by adopting conservation measures such as breeding programmes, quota implementation, setting up of natural sanctuaries to protect the natural resource of ornamental fishes.