Distribution and Fishery of Lates calcarifer in India

H. i\I\ohamad Kas im and P.S.B.R. lames"

':;, ., In,=". Lll/l'l I'll/om!('/". is wH.ldv Ji~lrihu l"tl :l l(>n~ the ~O:'bIS ofth~ Indo-Pacific R~g.lu~. ,l/u.I in Im.lia Ihi~ ti,h ' UPP(lrt" a conlinefClalli!lhcry Illo!)tly In t:1O;tuJ rics. nr:ld .. l .:ih\~3ter tJ k~~ amI 1'l!!00ns. It I:' landed III \ferv

:, (llItcli quantilles fro m l:~a" {:.tl watLrs (R:lJ 1916: ~·h:JI.:!..() 11)56: Dcv;J!)unac..bram 1954; JhingrJn imd 'J ,II.lrapll 1969: Jhin~rLln 19M2),

>;!UJie:-: ~'( I.·!wmd ~ oTllht: li:.,hl.:'ry ot [.(Ill!l cllkan!i...·r .:'~ LlI.:kmg. ,.lOti ollly 11 vc r\' lew detailedlUdit;s h:1VC: x:cn t:: lrTll..'U OU( !lone') Jnt! $uJ:m!'llllg:.lnt \1)54: Ch,u:k\j • 1 JI Iljj3: Jhingr:lll .lIl d :-.Ialara/un Ill()I}. ]I.)(}Y). ,\10:-1

·:1 'he ... Iudic!'. relate 10 the blolugy :md culture of !lei! :-,.1 ...... Ghtl~h 197 1. 1973: GhllSh ct ul. 1977: Hor:l ~mJ '~.nr I'}-W: Kllwtal 1970. 1477: .\lII:lIon 19~5: .\lul..ho­f'.jJy;.ty .Jnli K ~rma~.lr 19X I I. Gvpalakrisilnan ( 1972) 1:1.' de:.dt with the 1:I'(onvmy ;JnL! biology of L. ,llmr{ft-r .dung wi th OIha cultumble tropIcal ri!:-.hc.s .

In Ihi:- puper the Jblnhutlon .1nd fishery ul" L. •• lfwrjfi'r :Ire revlewl!d. The ,'uture pro'>pt:CIS fl lr the ':'pIUIIJ.llon or the resource arc mdic.ltcd :,md recOIn ­. Ill!nualion~ are made lor funhc::r Jevdopmcnt \)1' the.: fi:-.hcry b<Jsed on :-. [udic~ of Ihe population dynamics of thi!'. ,peck s.

Distri hut iun

Lutes ("(lle-url/er IS Jismbuted in Ihl.! mmhem part of Ihl.! Indo-Pacific region. ,outhward [0 Austra lia und '.v,:slward tu EaM A(ric<J In the coastal ...... ~Iers (Day 1'-)58: F.'\O [ ';174). In India thiS .'>pt!c ics .J~..:urs Jlong the coastal walers in small quanlltie!) <lnd in es tuanes. bf,oons. backwaters, .,Hld lower re~lche .. \)f m 't:rs .. Hljollling es[uanes In good :.lbu ndancc. A .:r:rtain IrJl.:tton ur thl! population. t:~pccially verj large. m:lIure adults. appear to avo id lagoon:; <lnd inhabit mo!)t ly (he comil31 inshore waters. The re!)( of the popula tion_ mostly young nnes. 0Ccur in less 'ia linr.: In tertidal zones. \!SlUancs Jnd uthr.:r backwaters, The ~)(C urrc:nct: of lhis SPC":II!$ In orf'ihurc watc r)\ has nu t been reported from lnd ia. The .;c:a ba,;;; brecds in the: H! ::J. and [he fry enter the: lltakuran . .\f ... dah and lower ... tretches of HOOiZlv Estuarv durin2 :v1:lv-Octobcr In

\Vest Bt:ngal ::J.nd~ dunn~ ju'ly~.-\ u g~st in-Chilb Lake

• CtOlrJi \ larml.! t"l' .. hCll":) R\:\t;i.n:h [n,WUle. P.O. 80'(. .:-,1.! .•. \)!.. ... r. fl~: /.01. IJLJ

ncar thc Ink!! mouth in Orissa (J hingran anu Natarajan 19091 .

SWIY fingerlings. mc :.tSuring 50-70 mm oct.:ur in the nunhcro ~cc!or of Pulic<lt Lake Juring ~1ay-j une (Rao and Uopalakri~hnan (975). Early lariat: 4-6 mm have be..:n rcpol1l'J from the intertidal zone or lhe creeks of KJkJwip f Mukhopadhyaya :md Var,!;hl.!sc 1978). As nh..;aveJ from the ti:-.hcry, 46.81/r of the L. ("alcurifer resource i:i JI~{ributcd in (he northern !icc:nr. J.5 .1 % In

[he ~-en lral ~c.; (or anJ only 8.1 C;~ in rhe southern sector uf {h~ Chilka Lake Uhingran :Jnu Naw.r..1Jan 1969) . Y!.lUIl\! unes meusunng )74 10m .lnd hdow :Jlwavs l)(;cur;t::J in '.!oOli abundance in Chilk::l Lake 150% a;,d ..lbovCJ. Ho';ever, during some wars fish of the size ,!;WUP 375-jQ9 mm h:J.~e b~c.n· ubunJ ant. The :s izc groups larger than the laHcr arc Ji~[rihu[ed :lparsely ,mJ thl.!i r pt!n':l!tHagc di stnbution JCl.:rciJ:-.t:s with [he increase in size and age I1 himmm and N:H:l(:J.jan 196Q) . S!Jmetimcs Ihis species occu;S iii rivers in fresh water (Anon 1951) .

! ."

~l ig ra tiQn

Though Ih is SpeCICS b conSidered tu be :madromous in Thailand (S mith !945)' mig r:.ltiun is not highly pronounced in India_ Loca lised migration of lesser l1lagnirudc for {he purpose of fe.:ding and brl!cding has been reponed by Chacko ( 194901 in (o!croon River muu lh. ascending up to the Lower Anaicu( .3 distancl.! t)i nearlv 50 km_ In Krishna Rivcr . .)t::l bass :l.)ccnd ror a dista,;cc of 50 km (Chacko 1949bl.

On the soulheast coast of India. at MUlhpet. Tamil Nadu. the vmll1~ 1,,1OCS mi~rate inlO sui in.: swamp (Ch .. tcko 1 9...i9c).~ rn [hc Godavari ,lOt..! Krishna rivers thi s fi sh hJ.!) been reported to Inigratc up [0 130 kill from rhc ... t:a (Anon 1951) and all thesc migralions inlo thl.! t"rc,hv.a{cr ri ·"l! rs. brack..ishwuler !ngoons._lak\!s and ,wamp' ;..t rl! lo r :ihdtCL fceding and growth . Howev~r,

thc breedi ng 1111gration is not clear. Dunng breedin£ seasons dune-July .J.nd january-March for Chilka ,>Iock :.lnU O..::toner-Dcl:t:.:mber :\n Tarnll Nad Ll !'. tnck). [ht! polenlial hn .. -edt:r"- ... rt! conmJercd to migrate IO Ihe aUJolOing ..:.e :J il\r "nawnmg ; Jhmgrun and ~atarJJ an Il1ol): Ch:l'.:ku jl)-l'l.:- j. \nI..'S .mu SU)Jn'LO~,lnl I QS..1} .

fi!ohl'r~

F ish ing (;rounds. Cr~ft ~nd Cl'ur

The brackI,.,hv.atcr lJ)..c" and l:SIUJnc.' oC m~l1or river~ of India are the lmpllrt:ml tlf,iilllJ:! ground!. lor thi s SpeCi~5 The Imponant hAc!> <!re Cillil • .J Lo!l..:: In

Orissa. PUiiCH LaJ..c In 1 amil l'\ildu and \ tmO~lld.j Lake alld it~ conneCled bad waters in Kefa!'. Ar!lOn~ Ihc estuanes. thC' Huogly .. ~ht]ah e!-.lu3': IT! \\ 1:"1 Bengal. Ihe ManilllaJl E"iIU .. ry in OrI3\:1, the Goda\';m and Kri shna estuaries m Andhra Pradcc;h. Ihe Call\'cr: Estuary in Tamil Nadu and the Narmad:t and T:J.pt i estuaries in Gupmt support the fishc~ In a consider · able extCni

Plank-built boals . du,gou! canoe .... and catam:Jran~ arc employed in the fIshing opcr,lIion:' Soml: of the craft arc now mechanised . The planJ..-built ooa t:-, are mecha­nised with inboard engl!1CS and the other .. with portable outboard engines. The!,€' fi shing crafl arc of various types and sizes wi th differenl vernacular names. The: fishin£ gear of Chilku and Pu lical Lakes ha.\ heen described and di!'>clJs5cd hy many workers (Hornell 1924: Mitra 1946: Anon 1951: Dcv<lsundaram 1951 . 195-1< Jone:'> and Sujan!'>ingani 195~ . 1954 : Joh and Pantulu 1953: Chado CI at. 1l)53: Mohapatr<J 1955. Mitra and Mohap;Hrtl IY57: Jhingran and Nali1mjan 1969: Krishnanlurlhy and Rao 1970). There arc 13 well-defined nct ~ of three: !ypc.~ (dragnel !:!, giilncb and ca!'>! nets) In use in Chilku Lake. Krishnamurth~ and Rao 11970) described one shore seine. 8 dragnel!:l. :; ba!!nels. 2. fixed net!!. ~ stake neb. I ca!'t nct. long line~ and h;md line!'> which are e.xtensivel~ u!'>cd tn

Pulicat Lake .

The important ~car used include : Bfl('kti Jol. .1

dragnet with bag. in Chilka Lake and }':Odlll 'tI mla:. a Iypc of g.illn~l. made of !'>un hemp twine. in Pulical Lal..e. These lWO nct!': have been designed with the aim of exploiling thc sca bJSS and are n;lmed after thc se" bass. The k.not~ of the Kodul'a va{Qi arc of rcef-knO! Iype whICh gel loosened depend ing upon the giJ1h of the fish captured. The BJrekti jal net c3lch comprises 59.3 lk sea bass. The net is 9 m IOfl~. 3-4.5 min dl'rth ~nd provided with rectan)2l1lar noms and having a knot to knot mesh size of 45-7("1 mOl (Jones and SU.1ansing­ani 1954 ). The other p.rar used to lund sea b:!ss in Chilka Lal..e are Khep(J jal (cast net. 6. J q). Hhida ja! (d;-ag net. with bag. 5.5'k1. Noli ja! (gillnct without foot rope, U.9f/i:). PfJlllCl)tll (drag nct with beg, O.7'7r). Khadi jal (drag nct wi lhoUI bag. O,5?r), /I1l,tljia jal (gillnel with foOl rope. 0.2%) etc. In PUliC31 Lake Hadr va/ai (shore sei ne). ?er;a kUllda \'{Ilai (drCl~ net ), lonr: li ne and hand line and BtJro llg jal (gillnet) i~ Hoogly-Matlah Estuary also land sea hass.

Fishing Methods

Four t ype~ of fishing methods (net. impoundment. hook and line, trap) are employed in the brackishwatcr lakes and estuaries of Ind ia.

"'~: fi"hlllf I ' u)lldu..:tcJ thrllu!!h"lH 1!1~ ~1..·<.Ii '.~ ;11: ;tppafrnt!:-- in·;. ! l:-.h!Jl~ mtcn.\I1~ dllnn~ (Jclnhcr DC'Cl':nhc. cOniribLl til1~ .")(L66(ii l)f annual rr~)du('tl(J1: of Chill..iJ Lakt' II ! v.hlch Ihe sea hd~" c(l1Is1i!lItl.:' 2.1"1 of (hI.: pnxluul{m. Thl: driJ.? nl.:h hilVC been reponed tu

I.md tht hul~ (II thL' ;':olChc(" Impoundment rl~hln!! I~

conductcd h~ c!rt'L·tm~ l iJr~ c ll11r()undmen!.~ with tht' hdp o f .-.plil h<..lmhoo" in sh<..ll!(l\~ i.lfl.::I" ()f lake!:! iJnd arc operated dunnp. UCln!>er- rehruJry , UCL'ounting for 1~-.::!27r of tht" bkc·" alli1u:J. l producllon. Hool anJ lmc fishing i!-. condu~ ted UStng monofilamcnl H!o. :, no,lCl" with No. 6-10 h{lok.~ In long line .... . MonofilamclU h;md Ime!o. arc employed using prawn!'> and fish as ball for L ('n/ro rUer . thrc<ldfim and othcr rerchc~. Tr<.lp fJl;htn~ j\ conducted with t r;.tp~ most I) for prawn~ dunn!.: Man.:h-Scptcmhcr In Chilka LakC. Perch trap:-- madt" o'"j bamboos are cx!cnsi\'c1~ u!'>cd In Palk. Bay anc' Gull til MannaI' in T:HllI l Nadu.

Catch Stati slics

Est uarine F ishery

The catch of L. cu/ctJnjrr during jlJM-76 from J-Ioogly-MaI1Jh t:!"luary varied ~'wccn :21 Jnd .::!~.i 1 and Ihe pcrt"~nta!!e t:lImptl!o.lIwII In all fi!>h t:J tt.'lll·' hctwc.:n 0.15 and ~.4~ Un all avcrage 7x .-4 I (,f L ('oleanjN v. erc landed annuall) which conSlHlHt·\.l 0.9(;; 01 the Hllai avcrdgt' produ([inr~.

Annuall) 179 Sand 466.:' I of IfI:sh and dned rl"1. from r\'lahanadl e!"tuar) are Gluf!ht (Sh{'iI~ C[ <!! 19f))1

L(Jf(''' m/carf'-l'r con,\iI1 utcd :. 771 of the lot::1i rrodu~ iion from the estuary. An [ivcr:1t!c annu~ 1 c~l.:h oi ,,] ; fbh of ~036,1 1 hn.\ been repnnl.:J lrom lIlJua";U J

c.<.,tuar: in which the pcr.;:he~ rormcd h'l, OJ Ill: land1n~'" (CIFR I IY(,j ) Tht' pf"rct.:.mJ~c compmHlur. t ,'

L I uhurija ha" rWi bl.:c.:r. ,cron~d VenJ...<lH~ '><.In ( \4(1' rt'poncd lhe cSlIn1=.ited 1I)la! landm~ .. of 371 t \)1 f~~:.

from si" c~tuJric~ ofl amil Nadu on lilt" !'>oulhc.J..,tl. \:jl"l oflnlil:1 In which sea btl ........ Wf)!;tituled 14 .. ", 101 3.9 (,1 I'! lhe tOlal catchc::. during 1967-68. T hl: infonnC!tluo I'll lhe catch sta(j"itic~ on sea ba~s l!o nOI availab le 1m lh\' other cstuaric:-; alonf Ihe Indian coa~t~,

Lakt" Fishery Sev~ral wMker!-. h<.lve studied the fishery of ChIn,;;

Lale since 11.)30 {Mitra 1446: DC\'(NlIIdilram 14;·4. J one~ <lnd SunJ;1l1'.in~'ani 1954: .1hingran ;md NalJr<ljan 1966. 19b9: Sen~lIpta and ralfO 1970 ) Oct .lilcJ studle~ on the impOn;lnl fi\hcne:-- of Chilka Lake v. t.'r( carrit.::d out b) Jhin~ ,an ami Nal:Jraj:m (1969) durin~ 1':157·-65. The est imated annual <lvcr<i!!e fj~h vield \\:I~ 3663 I in which .,>ca ha:,~ conslillHt!d S.9tf( of the lOla 1 c3tche!-. . T he yield per hectarE' for the lake \'uried from 25.1 ll) 43 b .' with an aVer;)2<!" of 35.3 b!:/ha and thc calculated yi~ld of L calcarlfer wa~ abou-t 2.1 k£ /hj

The Lilies calcarifcr fisherv of Ch ilka Lake shov.cd ex treme fluc tuations <lnd the -highly sliccessful fisher: in 1964 with I:lndi ugs or 749 I has been ascribed If!

110

T:Jbll! I . E:-tim.ltcu {IHal (,:-.h <.:;Ileh :mJ ":ol11rt,:-itinl1 llf L . "Jk,J{i f~'r III ChiJk..L Lake. Source Jhmgran and N:ltiJ rajan

( 1 %')1.

L. ((//ranler 100al

...... [1 fi:-h GJh.:h I ,'.!( cHch III I"

i 1/5 7 4 4 i5 .7 174) ,'I;;"'; 3.:-:17. 1) 1'6, 2 1 ", 'J j.7')(-'. 7 ISO .'i I"N) ~ .WJ.(l 102.2 'Jf.1 ~,Xn 1.2 55 .1

' q,",~ .' JoN".\} I 1.1 () I /h ~ 3.t.l2:< .4 ::I.JJ :'i 1'/1-..1 '.!!-l II 71:-:.6 I ')f') -.1. '75 /) I ('). J

(ontinuous lakt:ward ingress Jur ing lh~ period J,jn u ary-Jun~ and OClObcr-Det:embe.r (Table I) . in Impoundment catches. tht: size iangc 150--37-1. mm /lmn!.:d 65 .3%, J7S-59Q mm 32.-+% and 600---7-1-9 01 !T1

(,)nnl!u 2. ,~ t;'r-.

Population Dynamics

I.cnglh-Wei\!.hr Relationship

Dc t !In [' rl!<.:ordcd a '-,lrong posit, .... e corn:l:.lIio n .) f !hl.' :->c- two pa r;J l1lt::lLrs at ,,: ;.uly ~ tag\!s ur lift! lJ f L. ,.lIcun(cr.

G.lOguly ,~ [ .11. ([ 959) stmlicd the Ic nl!th- wcj ,'ht n.:I.1tlOn~ hip u( I .. cafnm.fer m J Ilatur:.ll pOPulalion~in ;~I.1 tion 10 other morphorn~lric Chafill:lers. The fength­\\.:" Ighl re!:ltionship of L. cuh'arifcr is Log W = -:'.tHS8 .... ] .03-1. "2 Lo~ L, r -= O:)98g. Paln~uk :lnd .1;; 11:.1 119761 have w{~rkcu Out the !~nglh-\vclgh{ ~dJ.{10 n .sh ip of the ~ pecics of Chilka Lake .

.\lol"tal ity Parameters

:--.1 -\ rURAL MORT,\UTY CQ EFF IC II::::-<T (M)

fhe natura! munality ccefTicient in L co/canler t:~llma{ed by the ' {ndependent_Method' (Pauly (980) Irom the ro nnula L\)~ M = --4),(X)66- 0 . 279 )( L()g L :c k m/ + 0.6543 Log K -r- 0 .-1-634 X Log T t"C) is liAS.

HJ r ·\L ," lOR r AUTY COF. t'f"ICIENT t Z)

The {mal monaltty (from fishing. nil.lural a:, wdl as ITHgrJtlJry loss) computet.! ~epar:.Hely for year lUI and [J IJ II ..lge-group.., and ..lveraged fo r the periutJ 19SH--65 )y jhmgran ant.! Nalarajan \ 19(9) was c~ timateJ at

o 'C1,.- . If the annuai Jvc rage mortalit y r'-.lle A is 0 6J . tho.! n the average __ urvival rate i~ ll .37 (i.t:. S= I- A: 1-1).63 = 0 ,37) and {he (mal Imiian ranCllUS mortJi iry ":{J\:ffi<.:!~ n! Z is Loge uf 5 I.e. --D.99 . With. Sign .:h:Ii1Gcd Z is OlJQ.

"''01 IJ " c; '"1ORT.\ LlT Y C'n l:-.FHClI::.:"<T I Fl

The.: ... .. <.:w~e annual 11:"!: ln\! n1or\a l itv o.:ot.: flldcr. · F l'i

£- \/: 1.< 0: 9~-1US ~ t) -5~ .

Recru itment

Maturing and matl.:rc: indiViduals of L. calcarifer haVe! been observed during April- July in Chilka Lake, Peak period of hr..:!cding has been inferred to be June-July and spawning is believed ::0 take place in Ihe inshore waters (Raj 19 16: Jones and Sujansingani 1954: Jhingnn and Natarajan 1969: Gopal;jrnshnan t 971). It is very likely [hat anoth~r spawning in Chil ka L. catcarifer may be around the period January--­,V! ,Jrch The recruits :U Chilb fishery in July- August are IG1Ceable [0 thi s period . Rccrui tmt:nt to the fisht: t)' takes place at 162 mm (mudal value) and again in July-August at modal sizes 11 2-162 mm uuring 1958-----65 (Jhingr:1n and Nataraj2. 11 (969) . The lauer recruits l re e~pec i :.dly dominant In certain years . The age aI recruitment i~ 0,378 vear and age at firs i. ca pLUr~ is 0.65 year .

Yield per Requitment

The yield per ~ecrui{ment of L calcarifer for different fishi ng mortality t:oefficiem (F) at the ;Ige at fi. r~ l ( aplUre 0. 65 year for Ihret: differcm JIIK :a{ios i.e, 1. 5. 2 .0 and J.O, is gi ven in fig 1. For (ile prcv3i ling :'vI/K r:..nio 2.0 . (he fishing mort:,d l£Y coc iTi ­t.:icnt which can bring in tnt.: highc~1 yield of 59X.-+ g is 0.3 which ,~ far below the highest average fishing mortality coctTlciem Juring 1958---65. i.e. 0.54, and Ihis is so in the mher two ~'IfK ratIos also . Jhingran and Nat:Jrajall \ 1969) observed th .. H. in spite uf the inc rease in nu mber of fishermen ()ver tht: year::; . [ h~ etTccri .... 1!

fishing ~Ilon has nOI $ubsrilnlially changed result ing in a -; tabili sed yield within a certain range. The quantum

'l~~' I M/ K ralio 2.0 " "-

I . '~' . 500 I / ~ -" " ~

- r M/ K ratio 3 .0 ~--..-=:-~~ ' ''~- "----11/ -~~

., L"-----,--,, -,-,---,--,--,--,----" , '0

Fi\.! . I. t::~u;na l t:", ,II :. idd OC I r~l"fU ll lin '.!r{/J/IO II! I <,I,'" '1;1, ,Jrrwr !Ilr three Jtlj.:rcr:l .\·1 K clll," mdtc:l l>!J.oI ,lil!"""·"111 ll''thllll! !lI"il ai :l~ .. Ot:lilt·il..'lH!- I f \ .It,tl rn:', tl!m:..: ,n::: II 'IN

..,!plufl'. '': dh"i y,;;n

of fl!'hi[J~ effort. hOWl'\t'L j~j r eXr'cea ... Ihe opumulli level and lill s i!-. rCnl:CleJ 10 10"- rnCdn a~l i7.':: .

The annual mean length in fishint'- Junn!! 19.:'i~-b5

varied in the nmgc 234-·562 mm with an ovcrali mt:iJlJ ien2:th for the enlire period al 405 mm . The- min imum siz; at maturity wa!> 4:25 mm which i!> fairly clo~c t f)

overall mean length As the age at firs: capture is. anvwhere belo\\'" 405 mm. th~ pn::vailHlg fi~hing inl~nslty is much hIgher than the required optimum level. Com,idering these points il wa~ righily :-.uggestcd bv Jhin2:ran and Nmarajan (1969) that an\ additional i~put of fishing cffon' is therefore not ';"arrtlnled.

Optimum Age or Exploitation And Potential Yield Per Recruit

The optimum age of exploitation (Iv) is defined a~ the age when lhe hmoc alLains its maximum weigh!. and potential yield (Y) is the quantity corresponding to this weight as a function of infinite fishiilg intensity (Beverton tlnd Holt 1957). The optimum a1!e of exploi tation and potent ial yield for recruitment esti~

mated by the method of Krishnankutty and Qasim (1968) are 3.82 years and 961 g.

Dilicussion

Present Status of Exploitat ion

The foregoing obscrv :l.tions, namely low mean a~ e.

low age at fina capture and high rate of expJoil2tion all renecl that the Chilka Lake stock of L. wlc{Jr((cr i~

subjected to higb fjshin:~ pressure. Any improvemen t in yield could be expcced only when the agt at first capture is increased by m;mipulalion of gear selectivny for whieh there is lillie ;copC' in the lrac.lition ~ori enled

fishing. practices in Chilta Lake. Substantial yuantiJic5 of L. calcarifer are obtained in impoundment fishin~. forrnjn£ 8.3~ whereas the spec ies constituted anI ) 2.1 % in net fishing. The ques tion of mesh ~iz.t"" regulation under the~c circumstances has no relevance . However. it may be r.eninent 10 suggest thi:H fish smaller than 150 mm occurring in the catches must be saved and returned 1t1 the lake alive. "l\1arkeung and local consumption of these ~izes must be banned as a first step in the direction of improving the siock and fisheT)' .

However it i!. encoura£ ing to note thai since th is spec ies dep'end~ on the ;ea .... for breeding. a cert<lin fraction of the populatit)O , especially vcry large size groups, appear to <lvoi, lagoons and they no longer come under the fishing pressure in lagoons. They act as reserves in providing constant recru iiment to make good the depletion in the fishing area . However. in some vears there has been hea\'y recruitment. Deple~ lion of this stock because of overfishing in estuaries! lagoons is a remote possibility. This stock bears an~alogy, in some rcspects , to a coastal or 'fringC" fishery where part of the population is unfished and beyond the coastal gear (Jh ingran and Natarajan 1969).

J 12

Pru!'!perb and K(."(."ommt'ndatilln ...

!I 1<" \q."! !1 ",nown Ih31 incn:<I .... e Ir. proem'lion pI L. { 'alcc1r~i("r from Ihe- CJPtu;-{' Ilsi1rnc'" :-.CCI ("lr J"' \cf) much IimHed <:I;" th(' iishe0 h "u<:t~lIn('d mn ... il~ h~ immature fish iJ.!!l'd Ie.., ... than :! ~ car. Most of tht· recrUit:-. suffer fbhm!; mOfiahlY without :-,pi.lwn ln~ e\cn onre In their lifetime and only a vei;. fe\\ g.ro\\ mlu adult. ... and return to ~I..'~i for bfl!et.ilng . If the fi"hcr: h::; \ to bt: ImplO\cd thl..' J.~I;: at fir~1 t.:~p!ur( must h-: sufficienth ~ 'cll <.lhovc the mlllllllum ~izc at first maturity (425 mm!. A~ this is hi~hl} unlilcly. only th" size rc,gulalion as ~ug!!estcd al(cnd~ m~~ be im­plemented to pro!e':l !he fisher: irom irr<JlumaJ explonation . Further. to augmcm the !.c<! bass IIJlUrdl

recruitment. sea ranching of Ihi!- srccie~ mJ~ h(.

attempted by sl:md;miising :l ~eric ;:, of technique:- on

breedim: h\' natufi.Jl <1::. well a~ induced melhod~ undn captivil)1 through mainte:1ancc of tl series of hfo)uJ slOck$ and rearlllp. of the larvae and young on..;-:-. in wcll -est:lblishcd hill chcrie :; to obtain high :-.urvi\' .. d rates. The young ones thus reared may be released ir: the wild in good numbers in addition 1(1 supplying the seed rClwlarlv for eommerci~~ 1 culture in pond:- anJ other n;t ural-and com.trucled impoundments . FoIICl .... · up action may be taken 10 asse~s the impilC! 01 :<'C.j

ranching of tlll;o, species in the overi.lll production Altempl!-. may :.rh.o be rr:ade 10 stoe]... thi ~ spctil'<; In

freshwater ponds. la\..e:-. ilnJ Ic~c.rvoir\ . This speclc-' mi.lV nOI breed anu ~ct V.-"I::11 est(jblt~hei..l In fn;:<;h .... illl.:T

as;n the cast' o! Hi1w ili.r/w and Rhinmllll~11 (Ur.\ll ! ..

but it h3\ been reponed to grow iaster in fresh \\ .. .t1 ~1 (Alikunhi 1957: Gh{)~h 19711 ThIS m:,). he e.\.pc-ctcd II form a pood ~.lTnl' fish like salmor. III Ink!:':- :.!·l":

re~erVOlr!!l.

Studie!> on Lu/('.\ wit"lu)rc,. arc vt'r: liml\ed HI lnJi.: probably be!'::.Ju~e thi\ species doe ~ nn! com,l!1!1[, .1

lar£'c commen::iaJ fi~h(.;rv in c.:oasl:..rl waters (";\1.:("Pi I:

la!.!"OOIl!.- and e~llw.rje!-. National 5Urr\,11 IhrtlU~h {lr~., ni~ed rescilrch progfilm~ i:-i Iimneu and cnn5-llllerin~ tn. quantum of the catch and its ec(\nomy (here is. 1111

govC"ml1lcnt ~sponsored program 0PCrdtcu t:},clu~l\ d).

on L. (·(JlcanJ(>r . HO\\evcr. becau~e it i!; a good 4U;jlt i ~

table fish. and fe tches a hi~h price. am.! con:-.idcnllf I!W prospec~ for culture. il is essenllal thai stud le~ tl-: initialed throug.h wcJl~pl8.nncd re~tarch on Ih,:: bIOi0f'~ anificial prop:.lf!i.lIion and culture in fresh and ...;:t it

water.

Rcftrences

AlikunhL K.H 1957 Fish CLOIH..Irt in IndIa Farm Butk!in Indi:1I1 Council of A!!rlcuhur:1I Resl!::Jrch . Ne\\ DeihL 21' 1M p.

Anon 1951. Preliminary fuide (t\ l nJi:m fi:-.h. fi ~.h.cn'·' mcthod ~ of fishing and cunn£.. Agnculturai Markel!Ol' In

India, Marke!ing. Series Nu 66. 33 p. Begenal, T.8. lY55 . The growth rale of the lung rouph d~t>

Hippo.~ioss()id('.~ p!mc.\·.widn (Fabr.). Joum:J1 of mr

~ I arine Biologica l Assoc iation of United Kingdom, 34: 197-31 1

B<!verton. R.J .H .. and Ho lt. S.J. 1957 . On the dynamics uf t!xploi tcd fi sh pupulations . Fi shery Investigations. Minis­try Ill' Agriculture . Fisheries ;lI1d Food . Great Bntai n. Senes [I. Volume XIX. p. 533.

("hacko. P.1. 1949a. Migratory mov.:: ments of fishes of the Cokroon. Proce.::dings vI" the Indian Science Congress . j6(J): 1&+-5 .

IY-I.9h. The:: riv~r Krishn:.J and its fishe ... _ Proc.::eJings of thl! Indi:m Science Congn..:ss. J6(3): 165-66.

1\}..19c Fi:.h and fi:.hc rics \If :o.luthup:t saline sw(tmp.

T dnJore tii:-.trict. Proceedings of the Indian Sci~nce

COTl!!re,>s. 36(3): 166. I Q56. ObServations on the biolo:;y ant! eculogy 01 the.

inlJnJ water tishes uf ~adras with 'p¢cial refert:nt e to their ~ ui!abili ty for culture. Government of Madras Fishl!r1e!> Station Report and Year 1300k IY54-55: 247-70 .

Ch:lchl. P.L. Abr ... ham. LG .. and AlllbL R. 1953 . Rcportun the :-.urvey or" nora. fauna and fisheries of PuJicat Lake. :\laJras Stale. India ( 1951-52l. CClllral Freshw:ner Fi~hcry Biol\)gy Stattun. Madras . X: 20 p.

Cl FRI. 196-+ .. -\nnual report fur thl:! ye3r 1963--64. Ct!nlr31 Inland Fi~heries R<!search Insli{Ute. Barm..:kpore . ...16 p.

;-h ~. F. I Y5R The fi~h..: .~ of India. Williarn Daw~on and Sons LirnLll!d. Lunuon .

DJ\I!>. T .L.O. 1\}84 .. --\ popu laflon of :.e:,wally precOCIous barramunui. L(l les calcarifer in tht! Gulf of C.lrpentaria . AUSlralia. Copeia ( I): 14-I-1J.

Ik. G .K. 1971. On the biology <Jf pu:-.t-larv;J1 Jnd juvenile I t:lgl;:"S of Lt1les (·a/cartIer I BL.) . Journal ot the Indian Fisheries As!:oci:l.tt{)!l 1(2): 5 1- 64 .

[)c\·::J.,>umJ:uam. ~I.P. 1951. Fi shing memotls tIl Ch ilka mullets . Indian Farming 1~{t-2): 22-25 .

1954 .. --\ report un the fisheries of Chi lka. L;li:c from 1948-1951. Cunack. O rissa Government Proos: 1-34.

FAO. I 97..J.. FAO species identll"ication sheets fo r ti .~hery purposes. Volume I.

GJnguly . G .N . . Mitra. B . . 3nd Btntacharya . N . 1959.011 lht: lOferrelationships between total length. :o;tanda!"d length. depth and weight 0f Lares calcarifer. Proceedings of the Nillional in:.titute uf Science of India Vol. ~5B(4):

115-81. Gh')sh. A. 197 1. Obs~rva tiOn o n the acciimatisalion and

growth of the bh~Kli Lates calcllnfer (Bloch) In fres hwa­ter ponds. Journal of Inland Fishenes So,~iety of (ndia 3: 123--1.

1973. Observations on the larvae and juveniles of the ·bht:lki · !..rues cah:arifu (Bloch) rrom the HOQgly~Matlah

esm:ui ne !:Iysl\:m. Indian Journal of Fisheries : 0(2): 372-9.

Ghosh. A .. Saha . A. K .. and Roy. P.R. 1977. Structure of the Ve nebr.le and Its role in age detenninaflon of Lares calC(lrifer (B L. l. J0umal of the Inland Fisher1l!s Socil! lY ,)f India 9: 1 86-Q.

Gopalakrishnan. V. 197::!. T a;.r;onomy ami biology of (roplc~1 fin fi sh for coa,!al aquaculture III tht! Indo- Paci!jl.: region. p. 13R......tO. ln Pillay . T . V .R. (ed) COa5tal A4uacullurc in thl! Indo- Pac ific Region Depanmem of Fishcnes. FAD. Rome .

11.)72a. Collection of ~rackishw;uer l"ish loccd from (he HOolgly cStuat)'. Seminar on prodm:uon o[ Quality Fi~h SeeJ fo r Fi:. h Cultu re . Cemt.li Inlam! Fishenes Research

Institute. Barrackpore p. 232--47. 1I0ra. S. L. . and Nai r . K .K. 1944 . Suggestions for the

development of salt water ' Bheries or Bhasabadha· fisheries in the Sunderbans. Fisheries deve lopment Pam­phlet Dcpanment of Fishe ries. Bengal No I: 1- 22.

Hornell. J. 1924. T he fiShing methods uf Madras Presidency. Madras Fish~ries Bulle tin 18(2.): 59- 11 0.

Jhingr:m. V .G. 1982. Fish and fi lo heries uf India . Hindustan Publishing Corpvration (India) . New Delhi, 502 p.

Jhingran. V.G . . and Narardjan. A. V. 1969. Fishenes of the Chilka Lake. Journal 01" the Inland Fisheries Society of India I : 49-1::'6.

1966. Final repon on the Fisherie!s of the Chilka Lake, 1<)57-65 . Bulleti n. Ce ntral [nland Fi:-.h e ries Research Institute No 8: 12 p.

Jo b. T.J .. and Pantulu. V.R. 1953. Fbh trapping in [nJ ia. loum;"!! uf the Asi:Hic Society 19(2): 175-96.

Jon.::~. S . . .lnU Sujansing:mi. K .H. 1952. The MDni·jal of the Ch.lb. Lake - a special net fo r Belonifomls fis h. Journal of Bombay Natural History Society. SI {I): '2i'!R-89.

1954. Fish ood fisherie.:; of Chil ka L:tkc with statistics of fis.h catches fo r the! years 194&--1l)5R. fndian Journal of Fi she!ries. [(1&2): 256-34-1

Kuwtal. G.V . 1976. StuJics un Ihe juvenile fb h slock of Chilka Lake. Indian Journal or Fbhen~s ~)( I &1}: 31-40.

1977. Some observa ti(lns on the breeding of L(.lies wh:arifer (B loch) from the Chilka Lake. Juurnal of me Inland Fishenes Soc~ety of India 9:19 1-2.

Krishnamunhy. K.N . . and Prabhakara Rao. A. V. 1970. Fishing methods 0f Pulicat Lake . Journal of the :nlaml Fjsheri~s Society of Ind ia . 1: 1-15.

Krishn:lIlKu ny. M . . and Qasi m. 5 .Z. 1961:1. The 1!~limatJOIl of optimum age o f exploitatio n and pmt.":otial yield in fish populations . Joumill du Cons . Penn. int . Explor. Mer, 3"::!1"2): 249-55.

~lcnon. P.t-.1 .G. 1948 . On the food of the ·Bhek tj' Lales cah:arifer (Bloch) in the cold season . Current Science 17: 156-57.

~itrd. C.N. 19.t6. Dcvclopml!ot of the Chilka. Lake. Cuttack. Orissa GI)Vemmem Press. 126 p.

Mitra , G.N . . and Mohapatr:J.. P. 1957. Bulletin on the development of Chilb Lake. Survey repun on the fishing industry. Cuttack . Government Press . p. I-51.

Monapa lra. P. 1955 . The Thana-Khonda - !l screen trap of me Chilka Lake. Journal of Bombay NalUraJ Hi£tory Sociery 53: 277-79.

r-,·1ukhooaJhvav. M.K .. . IOU Kannakar. H.C. 19~ 1. Effect of sali~i (y ~n'food Imake. growth ;"!nd conversion dficiency in juveniles of wres calwrijer ( Bloch). Journal of the lnlami fisheries Society of India. 13(1):8- 14.

Mukhopadhyay. i\l1. K .. and Verghese . P.U. 1978.0bSl!rva­tlOns on the lanaI! of Lares calcarifer (B loch) from Hoogly i!stuary with a note rm lheir collection. Journal of the Inland Fisheries Soc iety of India 10: 118--4 1.

P;lInaik. S .. and J.!na. S. t976. Some aspects of biol ogy of Lart' t ('alcarrfer r Bloch) from Chilka LIke. Indian JoumaJ uf Fisheries 231 1&2): (->5--71.

Pallly. D. II}i')O. :\ )t:iectlon I)f ", imp ie meihods fo r rhe assessment ..., f tropical fish Stocks. Food and Agricultural Ort"!::.IllIsanon Circular. No 729. 5-1 p.

Raj. B S. 1916. Notes ~10 the freshwaler fish to Madras . Rt::cnrds of Indian ~Iu.seum 1~ (6): '].49-9..1 .

RaG. P,-,lJh.Kara A.V .. and Gopai:1lmshnan. V. 1975. Seed re~ource~ anu bil1numics of culturahle bfJc kt:-ihwi.!cer

i! .

11~!;t'~ [.1 in.: ,: j I'J:n'l .,' i'K i"1:J:I,l rld,~!!t', \()~'l.;!:. "I

iTJl..iJ..! \ \11

Scnplpl:' S to. ill1(' f-';w .. , : '\ 1970 J"1..,h landmp and expon al lhfierCni ct:ntlt!:\ In Chill-.;!, dunng !\)b~-(-.{J , p 42-6(L In The Chllka Lakt> . CUllad .. Dircclor:m., 01

Fi~hcrie~. Government 01 (Jri ~"d

Sheny. HY.c' CnaklJbony . R.D .. and Batldcharyll . e.G . 1965. A rcpon on the n~hcru:~ of the Mahanadi e"tuan nl'

-,

· ·~.r;,:h };,.:. -.It t b IT-;.'~'_? l~~' :'0 !'i I

SI1~i!h H , .... 1 19': " ·i ill.: jrt!~hv.:J1I'! :j'r"'~ c- I ;'j:1I1 -

Th:'Il:;lnc The ~1:1!thlom~n Ih.,lIIUilon \.., a'hH'I ~II '1 .

D r Rcpnnt. i 956 tJ~::' I' Venkal('!ian . \ 19/'14 A preimm13r:- ,Iudy 01 fhe t"'UJfIl"'

and h:ld, I.I.;JI;: r, In Slluth Arent Dl~:nct. Tilmii f\.::aJL (South IndIa ) Pan /I Fi ~hcrit:\ . In : Fir .. ! All InJ I.:l ~yrnpo5- l\1 m in E);lUaftn l' Bluing:,. T amharam. Madra ~

114