Beach seine fishery of India – A Review
Beach seine fishery of India – A Review
Date
2020
Authors
Edwin, Leela
Lekshmi, N. Manju
Yasmi, V. S.
Jha, Paras Nath
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Society of Fisheries Technologists (India)
Abstract
Beach seines are surrounding nets operated with
two long ropes, set from the shore for encircling a
school of fish in shallow coastal waters. In India,
beach seining is the livelihood of the deprived
groups of marine fisher. This review article gives an
overview of designs, catch composition, prospects,
issues and guidelines for the beach seine operations
in India. Design of beach seines vary in structure
and size based on the geography and resources.
Natural and biodegradable materials were used for
the fabrication of seine nets which are now replaced
with polyamide for its durability and less resistance
in water. Motorised and non-motorised wooden/
fibre reinforced plastic sheathed plywood boats are
used for the operation of beach seine. Normally
beach seines are non-selective fishing gears with
small mesh sizes and are operated during the postmonsoon
season due to the high availability of
coastal pelagics. Studies conducted by ICAR-Central
Institute of Fisheries Technology, found that the
number of beach seines has been declining in India
during the last two decades. ICAR-CIFT has derived
technical guidelines for the operation of beach
seines along the Indian coast for reduction of
juvenile incidence by increasing the existing codend
mesh size and recommends square mesh at the
cod-end. Suggestions were made to avoid ecologically
sensitive areas for beach seine operations. This
review article concludes that technical improvements
and the introduction of measures for the
reduction of juvenile catches will lead to better
sustainability and the management of the beach
seine fishery which is a source for livelihood for the
aged traditional fisherfolk.
Description
Keywords
Karamadi, operation, juvenile incidence