Artisanal fishing gears of Visakhapatnam
Artisanal fishing gears of Visakhapatnam
Date
2005
Authors
Sreedhar, U.
Rajeswari, G.
Prakash, R.R.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Society of Fisheries Technologists (India), Cochin
Abstract
Visakhapatnam along with Kakinada coast shares the status of being the major fish landing Centre in the east coast of India. The traditional fisheries off Visakhapatnam are diverse in terms of fishing gear and methods. In recent years, specific gears have been developed for commercially important species by standardizing the twine size and mesh size. The multi-walled trammel net has been adopted for effective exploitation of crustaceans with necessary changes. Use of monofilament has .been popular among fishermen in this area. Fishermen of this coast have adopted certain innovations such as use of artificial lure in place of natural bait. Larger units of hooks and lines have also been in use as a result of motorization of the craft and operations have shifted to deeper waters. Increased competition in the fishing industry coupled with the diminishing returns have resulted in fishermen using codend mesh size up to 5 mm in boat seines and shore seines. In view of these changes, there is an urgent need to assess the present artisanal fishing practices prevailing in the coast in order to promote eco-friendly and low energy fishing practices. This article provides an overview of the traditional fishing gears operated, off Visakhapatnam coast. The technological and operational details of major traditional fishing gear and methods namely gillnets, boat seines, beach seines and lines are described. Suggestions for making indigenous gear more eco-friendly and cost-effective are provided.
Description
Keywords
Artisanal fishing gear, gill net, hook and line, shore seine, boat seine
Citation
Proceedings of the seminar on Sustainable Fisheries Development - Focus on Andhra Pradesh, 23 July 2004, Visakhapatnam, India ed.by Boopendranath,M.R. et.al, 101-111