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Marine

Research and Management

Editors

V.N. Pillai and N.G. Menon

Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute

(Indian Council of Agricultural Research) Tatapuram P.O., Cochin-682 014

Kerala, India

2000

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22 Carangid r e s o u r c e s of India

p. N. Radhakrishnan Nair

ABSTRACT

A review of the re.>earch work carried out so Jar on various aspects of the carangid resources has been made in this paper based mainly on the published contributions of Central Marine Fisheries research Institute. The fluctuations in the fishery since 1950 and its present status, in the light of the improved tackling devices and changed fishing patterns, have been analysed. A drastic increase in the landings was noticed since 1985 which was mainly due to the mechanization of the country crafts, the use of purse seine and ringseine, intensification of trawling and the introduction ofmultiday fishing. The studies on the food and feeding habits have revealed

that almost all species of carangids are pelagic carnivores, feeding mainly on a variety of smaller crustaceans and fishes. The stock assessment studies conducted on certain commercially important species have shown that most of them are either optimally or under-exploited and hence there is scope for increasing the produc- tion without adverse effect on the sustainability of the stocks.

Introduction

The carangids are pelagic fishes widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region and their importance in the Indian fishery is highly significant a s they constitute nearly 7% of the a n n u a l marine fish landings in India in the c u r r e n t decade. The Family Carangidjie includes horse-mackerels, queen fishes, scads, pompanos and d a r t s and is represented by 140 species u n d e r 25 genera. They occur a b u n d a n t l y in shallow waters upto 60m depth along both the coasts supporting fisheries almost round the year particularly along Andhrapradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnalaka. The commercial fishery is supported mainly by Megalaspis cordyla, Decapterus russelli, Alepes djedaba, Atule mate, selar

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

crumenophthalmus. Selaroides leptolepis, Caranx s p p . , Carangoides spp..Scomberoides spp. and Trachinotus s p p .

The carangid species are mostly schooling fishes {Alectis s p p . are gener- ally solitary) and some are largely continental in distribution and occur pri- marily In brackish environment (especially young ones) while others are oce- anic pelagics. The larger species of Trachinotus, Seriola and Caranx are highly regarded as sport fish (FAO, 1984).

Earlier investigations on carangidae were restricted to a few species such as Selaroides leptolepis, Caranx kalla, Megalaspis cOrdyla, Decapterus russelli etc. All s u c h studies pertain to systematics, species descriptions, distribution, occurrence, behaviour, and reports on new records (Tandon, 1959;

Srinivasa Rao. 1966; Reuben. 1967, 1968b; Luther, 1968; Meenakshisundaram and Gnanamuthu, 1968; Murty, 1972; Sreenivasan, 1974 b; Raje, 1984; Nair and Plllai, 1987; Yohannan and B a l a s u b r a m a n i a m , 1987; Joel e t a l . 1987;

Sivakami and Seetha, 1990; Gopakumar and Thomas, 1991 and Sivakami et al..

1 9 9 6 ; M a h a d e v a n , 1 9 5 0 ; T a n d o n , 1 9 6 0 a ; a n d V e n k a t a r a m a n a n d R a m a n a t h a n , 1982). Association of certain marine carangid species with other organisms, especially m e d u s a e , have been reported by Panikker and Prasad (1952), J o n e s (1960) and Noble (1963). Investigations on the eggs and larvae were conducted by Delsman (1926 a & b), Devanesan and Chitiambaram (1941), Devanesan and Varadarajan (1942), C h i d a m b a r a m (1943), Gopinath (1946), Bapat and Prasad (1952), Bapat (1955), Kuthalingam (1959), B a s h e e r u d d i n a n d Nayar (1962), Rao (1963), S u b r a h m a n y a n ( 1 9 6 4 , 1966), Rao a n d Girijavallabhan (1973) and Premaletha (1988, 1991). Accounts on the fishery and biology have been published by Chacko and Mathew (1955), Tandon (1960b, 1962a.b), J a m e s (1964), Rao elal. (1977), Sreenivasan (1978a,b).

Bapat etal. (1982), Kasim and Khan(1986), Premalatha (1993), Raje( 1994), Sivakami etal. (1994) and Sivakami (1995). The food and feeding h a b i t s of carangids include the works of Datar (1954) on Caranx rottleri (Cuv. & Val);

Kuthalingam (1955, 1959) on Caranx djedaba and M. cordyla; Tandon (1960b,c) on S. leptolepis; Kagwade (1967) on C. kalla; Reuben (1969) on Carangoides malabaricus; Sreenivasan (1974a, 1979) on M. cordyia and D. dayi and Hamsa and Kasim (1989) on C. carangus. Publications on length-weight relationships, age, growth and size at first maturity in carangid species include those of Tandon (1961a, 1961b, 1962c), Kagwade (1968 a), R a d h a k r i s h n a n (1973) and Sreenivasan (1981a, 1982). Investigations on various aspects of the biology,

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Carangld resources of India p o p u l a t i o n d y n a m i c s a n d stock a s s e s s m e n t of carangld species of Indian w a t e r s date back to 1962. The publications In t h i s field are t h o s e of Tandori (1962c) on S. leptolepis, Banerjl (1973) on carangld group In general, Rao et al. (1977) on t h e h o r s e mackerel, Murty (1991) on D. russelll, Reuben et al.

(1992) on a n u m b e r of species. Dhulkhed and Annlglrl (1994) on c a r a n g l d s of Karnataka coast and Kaslra a n d Hamsa (1994) on C. leptolepis a n d C. carangus.

Data base

The catch s t a t i s t i c s published In various Issues of Marine Fisheries In- formation Service a n d other publications of the Central Marine Fisheries Re- s e a r c h I n s t i t u t e , Cochin are u s e d to describe the s t a t u s of t h e carangld fish- ery in India. State-wise, gear-wise, species-wise d a t a on estimated c a t c h a n d effort during 1985-93 were provided by the NMLRDC of CMFRI. Available p u b - Hshed information on the carangld resources of India contributed by the CMFRI a n d other Institutes/Universities formed t h e other main s o u r c e s for the prepa- ration of t h i s review paper.

S t a t u s of t h e fishery

During the last five decades the carangld production in India h a s been showing a n n u a l fluctuations. The a n n u a l landings varied from 6 1 2 2 t o n n e s In 1950 to 196871 t o n n e s in 1995 (Fig.l) a t a n a n n u a l average of 5 1 8 9 9 t o n n e s , c a r a n g l d s constituted 1.06% (In 1950) to 8.25% (in 1992) of t h e total all India m a r i n e fish landings. The fishery showed a steady b u t slow progress

Uandlng* (lOOO Tonn«a) 2 S O

aoo - iao too -

so -

ilniiiiilliiMiH

1060 19Se 1«60 1»e« 1970 1970 1980 1SSS 10OO 1098 Vtiars

/

• k i Catch

Fig.l. Annual Landings of Carcinglds During 1950 to 1995

crsior^

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Marine Fl«herie« Re«earch and Management

till 1980 a n d thereafter it Improved slightly. From 1986 onwards a marked Increase In production could be noticed.

The average a n n u a l landings during 1950-55 a n d thereafter In different decades from 1956 to 1995 were worked out a n d the r e s u l t s Indicate t h a t during 1950-55 the average catch was 11262 t o n n e s . In the 1956-65 period it Increased to 2 3 8 8 5 t o n n e s , showing a 112% rise. During 1966-75 it increased to 2 4 6 7 4 t o n n e s , which was 3.3% more t h a n t h a t of the previous decade. In 1976-85 a n d 1986-95 the Increases were to the t u n e of 5 9 . 1 % a n d 2 6 7 . 3 % compared to their preceding decades and the average landings were 39247 a n d 144164 t o n n e s respectively. A t r e m e n d o u s increase in the fishery could be noticed since 1985 (Fig. 1) and it could mainly be d u e to the mechanization of c o u n t r y crafts Initiated in 1980s and the intensification of trawling opera- tions Including multi-day fishing being practiced subsequently. These factors e n a b l e d to extend t h e fishing a r e a s to d i s t a n t a n d h i t h e r t o unexploited g r o u n d s . The introduction of ringseine in the coastal fishery also could have helped in e n h a n c i n g the production from this sector.

The west coast of India was the major contributor (69.6%) to the all-India average a n n u a l carangid catch. The contributions from the east coast and Island territories were 2 9 . 6 % a n d 0.7% respectively. The trend of the contri- bution by these regions to the fishery in different decades showed a decline for the east coast (from 52.9% In 1956-65 to 18.3% In 1986-95) and an in- crease for the west coast (from 4 7 . 1 % in 1956-65 to 8 0 . 8 % in 1986-95) and the Island territories (from 0 . 3 % in 1966-75 to 0.9% In 1986-95). A major portion of the production along the east coast (94.8%) came from the s o u t h - ern s t a t e s comprising Andhra Pradesh, Pondlchery and Tamil Nadu and 8 3 . 1 % of the west coast production came from Kerala, K a r n a t a k a and Goa. (Table 1).

Table : 1 Contribution by east and west coasts and island territories to the total carangid catch In different periods from 1956 to 1995 (Annual Average)

Periods

East coast

Catch (t) %

West coast Island terrltoris

Total Catch (t) % Catch (t) % Catch (t)

s

1950-55 0 0 0 0 1956-65 12627 52.9 11257 47.1

0 0.0

11262 23885

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Carangld resources of India 1966-75 12503 50.7 12085

1976-85 17220 43.9 21701 1986-95 26427 18.3 116442

49.0 55.3 80.8

86 326 1295

0.3 0.8 0.9

2474 39247 144164

YearAvg. 17194 29.6 40371 69.6 427 0.7 57992*

* Annual average for the period 1956-95. (1950-55 excluded)

S t a t e w i s e - p r o d u c t i o n : Kerala is the major contributor to t h e carangld catch in India. During 1956-94 period nearly 3 8 % of the average a n n u a l catch was obtained from this s t a t e w h e r e a s the contributions of other s t a t e s were 2 5 . 1 % by Tamil Nadu, 1 1 . 1 % by K a r n a t a k a , 8 . 1 % by M a h a r a s h t r a , 7.2% by A n d h r a P r a d e s h and 3.7% by Gujarat. A comparison of the statewlse contri- bution during the last two decades of 1975-84 and 1985-94 s h o w s t h a t there h a s been a s u b s t a n t i a l increase in the catch in Kerala, from 2 9 . 2 % (1975-84) to 4 3 . 8 % ( 1 9 8 5 - 9 4 ) . Similarly p r o g r e s s w a s n o t i c e d in K a r n a t a k a a n d M a h a r a s h t r a . In the case of Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andhra P r a d e s h , West Bengal (including Orissa) and Gujarat their contribution comparatively decreased in 1985-94. It may be concluded t h a t in the p a s t two decades, 6 4 . 3 % d u r i n g 1975-84 and 7 2 . 8 % during 1985-94 were obtained from the s o u t h e r n s t a t e s of K a r n a t a k a , Kerala and Tamil Nadu (including Pondlchery). The State-wise average a n n u a l landings at 5 year intervals, starting from 1956 , are pre- sented in Fig 2.

Craft and gears: Caranglds are exploited using mechanized, motorized and non-motorized vessels of different types a n d sizes ranging from t h e dug- out canoes to large trawlers, including c a t a m a r a n s , plank-built b o a t s a n d many s o r t s of c a n o e s with or without inboard or outboard engines.

Almost all types of gears s u c h a s the trawl net, glUnet, hooks & line, boatselne, s h o r e s e l n e , ringseine a n d p u r s e s e l n e are employed in the exploi- tation of t h i s resource. Pelagic trawl, s h r i m p trawl, ring-seine a n d p u r s e - s e i n e are the most effective gears a t present, especially for smaller a n d m e d i u m sized species. In the case of the larger species drift gillnets a n d hooks & line are t h e most popular gears. Caranglds are also c a u g h t in smaller q u a n t i t i e s In t h e traditional gears like boat-seine and shore-seine.

In Tamil Nadu, Kerala a n d Karnataka, which together contribute

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

A . E A S T C O A S T

• • i l-AK«HAOWEEI» BSJ A « N (M-AND*

C t S U A N O T E R R I T O R I 6 S

Flg.2. The average annual landings of caranglds at different states (5 yearly average)

• 3 2 2 "

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Carangld resources of India 7 3 % of the a n n u a l carangid catch, t h e s e fishes are landed b o t h In mecha- nized (including motorized) and non-mechanized sectors. The production in the mechanized sector was 56.4% in Tamil Nadu, 91.9% In Kerala a n d 9 6 . 2 % in K a r n a t a k a while in the non-mechanized sector it was 43.7%, 8 . 1 % and 3.8% respectively. The gear-wise contribution to the fishery in three major s t a t e s viz Tamil Nadu, Kerala and K a r n a t a k a shows t h a t the trawl net is the major gear in Tamil Nadu (41.6%) and Kerala (37.6%) while it is the purse-seine in K a r n a t a k a (72.8%) with trawl net in the second position (20.9%). In Tamil Nadu a n d Kerala the second important gear w a s gillnet (16.6%) a n d ringseine (34.9%) respectively.

Seasonal abundance

The trend in s e a s o n a l a b u n d a n c e of carangids during 1985-93 period was analysed (Table 2) and the r e s u l t s are compared with an earlier period of

1956-68 (Table 3) inorder to know the change in the p a t t e r n of a b u n d a n c e over a period of time.

Table.2 Quarter-wise Average carangids catch in different states during 1985-93

States Factors I Qrt II Qrt 111 Qrt IVQrt Total

West Bengal &

Orlssa

Andhra Pradesh

Tamil Nadu &

Pondlchery

Catch

% Catch

% Catch

%

416 30.6 2312 41.7 3560 21.7

148 10.9 1200 21.6 3683 22.4

232 17.0 980 17.7 5179

31.5

563 41.4 1055 19.0 4004 24.4

1359 100 5547 100 16426 100 East Coast Catch 6288

27.0

5031 .21.6

6391 27.4

5622 24.1

23332 100 Kerala

Karnataka &

Goa

Catch

% Catch

%

4686 8.3 4161 13.1

8115 14.3 1728 5.4

26985 47.6 7451 23.4

16846 29.7 18490 58.1

56632 100 31829 100

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Marine Fliheriea Research and Management Maharashtra

Gujarat

West Coast All India

Table:3 Quarter States

West Bengal &

Orissa

Andhra Pradesh

Tamil Naadu &

Pondichery East Coast

Kerala

Karnataka &

Goa

Maharashtra

Catch

% Catch

% Catch

% Catch

%

2547 21.5 944 21.4 12338 11.8 18626 14.5

1699 14.4 781 17.7 12323 11.8 17354 13.6

871 7.4 711 16.1 36018 34.4 42409 33.1

6714 56.8 1974 44.8 44024 42.0 49646 38.8 -wise average carangid catch In Different states During

Factors Catch

% Catch

% Catch

% Catch

% Catch

% Catch

% Catch

%

I Q r t 26

13.4 408

16.4 2155 20.8 2589

19.9 431 6.0 248 35.9

• 165 19.8

IIQrt 43 22.7 627 25.2 2723 26.3 3393 26.0 464

6.4 37 5.4 89

10.7

< ' ' ' 3 2 4 ~ ~ > -

III Qrt 41 21.3 765 30.8 3734 36.1 4540 34.8 3634 50.3 74

10.7 127 15.2

IV Qrt 81 42.6 689 27.7

1739 16.8 2509

19.3 2701 37.3 331 48.0 453 54.3

11831 100 4409 100 104701 100 128033 100 1956-68

Total 191 100 2489 100 10351 100 13031 100 7230 100 690 100 834 100

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Carangid resourceg of India Gujarat

West Coast

All India

Catch

% Catch

% Catach

%

53 9.6 897 9.6 3486 15.6

293 9.4 883 9.4 4276 19.1

55 41.5 3890 41.5 8430 37.6

219 39.5 3704 39.5 6213 27.7

620 100 9374 100 22405 100 Along the east coast, during 1985-93, the catch was almost uniformly spread t h r o u g h o u t the year. The range in quarterly variations w a s only 5.8%

with the contribution varying from 21.6% in the second q u a r t e r to 27.4% In the third q u a r t e r . In West Bengal and Orissa the m a x i m u m occurrence was In the 4 t h q u a r t e r (41.4%) followed by l^t q u a r t e r . In A n d h r a P r a d e s h it w a s the i s t and the 2 n d q u a r t e r s respectively. In Tamil Nadu a n d Pondlchery the peak s e a s o n w a s in the 3'"'^ q u a r t e r followed by 4th q u a r t e r .

Along the west coast, the 4^^ q u a r t e r followed by the S^d q u a r t e r emerged as the p e a k periods contributing 4 2 % a n d 34.4% respectively. B u t in the dif- ferent S t a t e s the p a t t e r n varied. In Kerala it was a b u n d a n t in 3rd q u a r t e r followed by 4*^ q u a r t e r b u t in Karnataka-Goa the 4th q u a r t e r w a s followed by the 3rd q u a r t e r . In M a h a r a s h t r a and Gujarat the maximum landing w a s in the 4 t h q u a r t e r followed by t h e l^t quarter. In general the peak s e a s o n for carangid fishery In India s t a r t s in J u n e , extends for a period of 6 m o n t h s , and ends in December.

In t h e earher period, 1956-68 (Table 3), the fishery w a s a t its peak in the s r d a n d 4^^ q u a r t e r s . Along both the east a n d the west coasts the maxi- m u m a b u n d a n c e w a s in the S^d q u a r t e r , b u t the second dominance was no- ticed in the 2 " ^ q u a r t e r along the east coast and in the 4^^ q u a r t e r along the west coast. A comparison of catch trend in these distantly placed time inter- vals indicates t h a t the period from J u l y to December c o n t i n u e s to be the peak s e a s o n for carangid fishery in India.

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Marine Fl«herie» Reiearch and Management S p e c i e s c o m p o s i t i o n

For the compilation of fisheries s t a t i s t i c s in India the c a r a n g i d s are broadly grouped u n d e r four heads, namely horse-mackerel, scads, queen fishes and "other carangids". During 1985-93 (Table 4) the all India carangid catch w a s c o n s t i t u t e d m a i n l y by the s c a d s (45.8%) closely followed by ' o t h e r carangids" (39.2%). Horse- mackerel and queen fishes constituted 11.2% a n d 3.8% respectively. The species composition along the west cost reflected the all India trend b u t along the east coast it varied (Table 4) a n d the "other c a r a n g i d s ' constituted t h e b u l k (66.2%) with the s c a d s (16.9%) occupying the second position. The horse-mackerel and the queen fishes formed only 5.5%

and 8.7% respectively. The State-wise percentage composition of the major groups Is presented in Fig.3

Table 4. Species Composition of Carangids during 1985-93 (Average Catch in tonnes) Species

States

West Bengal

% Orissa

%

Tamil Nadu &

Pondlchery

%

Horse- mackerel

59 25.3 404 35.9 117 0.7

Scads 0 0.00 106 9.4 2782 16.9

Leather- Jackets 136 58.4 160 14.2 1320 8.0

Other carangids

38 16.3 455 40.5 12207 74.3

Total 233

100 1125 100 16426 100 East Coast

%

1297 5.5

4571 19.6

2021 8.7

15442 66.2

23331 100 Kerala

%

Kamataka

% Goa

%

3213 5.7 2632 12.4 1710 17.0

35987 63.5 8170 38.6 4562 45.3

f—5oR

352 0.6 548 2.6 85 0.8

17079 30.2 9810 46.4 3716 36.9

56631 100 21160 100 10073 100

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Carangtd resources of India Maharashtra

% Gujarat

%

West Coast

% All India

%

3313 28.0 2030 57.9 12898 12.5 14195 11.2

4515 38.2 88 2.5 53322 51.7 57893 45.8

536 4.5 1291 36.8 2812 2.7 4833 3.8

3466 29.3 100 2.8 34171 33.1 49613 39.2

11830 100 3509 100 103203 100 126534 100

Megalaspis cordyla, commonly known a s the horse-mackerel, Is one of the major commercially important species of carangid. Large resource of this species h a s been discovered along the n o r t h w e s t coast of India by B a p a t et.al (1982) in a survey p r o g r a m m e of M.T.MURENA. Another i m p o r t a n t group is the r o u n d s c a d s , constituted by Decapterus. russelli (= D. dayQ.D. macrosoma, D. macarellus a n d D. kurroides. T h e s p e c i e s of q u e e n f i s h e s i n c l u d e Scotnheroides tala, S.lysan, S. commersonianus a n d S.tol. The 'other carangids"

Include the trevellies, j a c k s and p o m p a n o s . Some of t h e species t h a t contrib- ute to the fishery in India are Alectis indicus, A. ciliaris, Alepes kalla, A. djedaba, Atropus atropus, Atule mate, Carangoides armatus, C. chrysophrys, C.ferdau,

PERCENTAGE ' l a o *

W,«, Oni. A.P. T.H. KfiR. KAR. OOA M.R. QUJ.ALL'.NC'.A STATES

• • Hora* irtaokarti G U LMthcr^JaolMta

deads

Othawr oaranflids

Fig.3. Percentage contintutlon of major carangid groups, state-wise and all India.

3 2 7

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Marine Ftsherie* Re»earch and Management

C. gymnostethus, C. malabaricus, C. oblongus, Caranx ignobilis, C. melampygus, C. carangus, C. sansun, C. sexfaciatus, C. sem, Elegatts bipinnulata, Gnathanodon specious, Selar crumenophthalmus, Selaroides leptolepi§, Seriolina nigrofaciata, Trachinotus baillonii, T. blochii, Uraspis uraspis, Trucnycentron canadus, and Trachurus trachurus. Among the 3 5 a n d odd common species occurring along the coast, a few like M. cordyla, D. russelli, Alectis spp. Alepes djedaba, A. kalla, Atropus atropus, Carangoides malabaricus. C. chrysophrys, Atule mate, Selar crumenophthalmus, Selaroides leptolepis, Caranx carangus,

C. ignobilis, C.malampygus and C. sexfaciatus contribute significantly to the fishery with spatial and temporal variations. Some species of queenflshes and j a c k s attain large sizes w h e r e a s most o t h e r s are moderate a n d medium sized

and are a b u n d a n t in large schools.

Migration

Information on the migration of carangld species is scanty. Since they are fast-moving shoaling fishes they are expected to u n d e r t a k e migratory movements. Rao et al. (1977) observed t h a t species of horse-mackerel are fast swimmers, highly schooling a n d migratory. Their survey along t h e s o u t h w e s t cost of India h a s shown that good concentrations of these fishes shift north- w a r d from s o u t h e r n shelf to t h e c e n t r a l a n d n o r t h e r n s h e l f a r e a s by September-October with maximum a c c u m u l a t i o n s occurring in the n o r t h e r n area by May-June. Thereafter the migration of the stock from the central and n o r t h e r n a r e a of the s o u t h west coast takes place both to oceanic area as well as s o u t h e r n l a t i t u d e s . High level a b u n d a n c e of the horse-mackerel is avail- able for a m u c h longer period off the coasts of Kerala and s o u t h e r n Tamil N a d u a n d for a m u c h s h o r t e r d u r a t i o n off K a r n a t a k a a n d s o u t h e r n M a h a r a s h t r a . As these fishes grow bigger and older, they move to oceanic h a b i t a t s and their inshore migration during post monsoon is mainly for the p u r p o s e of breeding a n d feeding. The horse-mackerel a n d s c a d s also exhibit diurnal variation in the distribution p a t t e r n . Generally during the day these fishes are found a s d e n s e vertically extended schools at or n e a r the bottom a n d a t night they are found ascending to surface layers either in dispersal s t a t e or in schools. M e e n a k s h l s u n d a r a m and G n a n a m u t h u (1968) observed the shoreward migration of Caranx sexfaciatus during December along the Madras coast for feeding . The migration of D. russelli h a s been reported by Bapat et.al. (1982) a n d stated t h a t the fish probably migrates to the deeper waters after attaining the penultimate stage of maturity. This is evidenced by

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Carangid resources of India the availability of specimens In r u n n i n g stage in 91-125m depth a r e a and In V stage in 5 5 - 9 0 m d e p t h a r e a . Shore-ward migration of schools of Selar crumenophthalmus d u r i n g December h a s been reported by Nair a n d Filial (1987) from Vizhinjam.

Size distribution

The carangids show a wide range of sizes. The maximum size of the small- est species [Caranx kalla] is 16 cm fork length a n d t h a t of t h e largest species [Caranx ignobilis) is 146 cm fork length (Smith-vaniz 1984). The length range of M. cordyla reported by LIpton et al (1988) seems to b e unrealistically small (5-15 cm), as the m a x i m u m size reported Is 80 cm total length. On t h e pther h a n d t h e sizes of C. chrysophnjs (36-85 cm), C. malabarlcus (15-65 cm) a n d S.leptolepis (54-69 cm) reported by B a p a t ' etal (1982) also seem to be very high b e c a u s e the maximum sizes recorded for these species are only 3 8 . 5 cm, 24 cm a n d 18.5 cm fork length respectively. D. russelli, t h e most a b u n d a n t species, h a s a length range of 3-27 cm total length with 12 to 2 3 cm consti- tuting the commercial fishery.

Age and growth

Published a c c o u n t s on age a n d growth of carangid species are very few.

The earliest s t u d y is t h a t of Tandon (1962c) on S.leptolepis b a s e d on length frequency a n a l y s i s . He estimated t h a t the species grows to a size of 123 mm at t h e end of one year. Kagwade (1968a) observed t h a t Caranx kalla from Calicut area, a t t a i n s a length of 82, 132 & 167 mm at the end of 1st, 2nd a n d 3rd year respectively. The growth p a r a m e t e r s were LOD= 2 1 7 m m a n d K= 0 . 7 1 . Sreenlvasan (1978 b & 1982) studied the growth of M.cordyla a n d D.dayi respectively from Vlzhlnjam and estimated the growth p a r a m e t e r s . Later Murty (1991) e s t i m a t e d the growth a n d mortality p a r a m e t e r s of D.russelli from Kaklnada a n d Reuben et al (1992) on a n u m b e r of species from different re- gions along the coast of India. The findings of t h e s e investigations are pre- sented in Table 5. The methodology followed In t h e s e s t u d i e s Is mainly the length frequency a n a l y s i s . The ELEFAN I programme (Pauly and David. 1981) and Witheral method were also employed to estimate LQD a n d K. Similar s t u d - ies were also c o n d u c t e d by Kasim a n d H a m s a (1994) on C.leptolepis a n d C.carangus from Tuticorln.

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

Table 5. E s t i m a t e d G r o w t h p a r a m e t e r s of c e r t a i n s p e c i e s of c a r a m g i d s w o r k e r s

Authors Year

Tandon Reuben et al Kasim & Hamsa Kagwade

Sreenivasan

Reuben et al

Sreenivasan

Murty Reuben et al

Reuben et al Reuben et al Reuben et al Reuben et al Kasim & Hamsa

1962 1992 1994 1968

1978

192

1982

1991 1992

1992 1992 1992 1992 1994

Species

Selaroids bptolepis Selaroides kptokpis Caranx leptolepis Caranx kalla

Megcdaspls cordyh

Megalaspis cordyh

Decaptents dayi

Decapterus russelli Decaptents russelli

Caranx carangus

Atropus atropus Alepes djadaba Atul nvite CaTar^x carangus

Locality length at age

Mandapam Pondichery Pondichery Calicut

Vizhinjam

East coast

in mm s 1-year 123

1-year 82 Il-year 132 111-year 167 1-year 250 Il-year 290 111-year 320 IV-year 330 (Fork length) North-west coast

South-west coast Vizhinjam

Kakinada East coast

1-year 150 19months 184 (Fork length)

North-west coast South-west coast Tamil nadu &

Pondichery North-west coast Kerala coast Kerala coast Ttificorin

by different Growth parameters Loo

202 202 213 271

420 FL

410 525 394.4 260FL

K/Yr to 0.82 0.82

1.43 -0.015 0.71

0.131-5.0099

0.52 0.82 0.60 0.1858 0.50

232.3TL 1.08 -0.08 221

299 248 444 440 326 340 498

0.71 0.45 0.78 0.65 0.,65 0.61 0.85 0.77 0.0455 Length-weight r e l a t i o n s h i p

The earliest s t u d y on t h e length-weight r e l a t i o n s h i p of a carangid species from Indian w a t e r s was t h a t of T a n d o n (1962a) on S.leptolepis. He drew a common equation for b o t h t h e sexes a s t h e r e w a s no significant differ- ence between t h e sexes in t h e i r r e g r e s s i o n s .

The s t u d i e s on D.dayi by s r e e n i v a s a n (1981) from Vizhinjam showed

• 3 3 0 "

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Carangld regoarces of India t h a t the 'b' values of males and females did not vary significantly, b u t a pooled value (2.9886) for b o t h the sexes w a s significantly different from t h a t of t h e i n d e t e r m l n a t e s (3.1691). The estimate by Murty (1991) was slightly higher (3.4076) compared to t h e observations of Sreenlvasan (1981) a n d Reuben etal (1992). The 'b' values of length-weight regression of Af.cordyla obtained for different regions by Reuben et al (1992) a n d by Slvakami (1995) for Cochin were found to be less t h a n 3 . In Atropus atropus t h e ' b ' value calculated by Reuben etal. (1992) for t h e n o r t h w e s t coast (2.8570) w a s slightly higher t h a n t h a t observed by Raje (1994) from Veraval region (2.6133). In Caranxcarangus the s t u d i e s by Reuben et al (1992) and Kasim a n d H a m s a (1994) showed t h a t the estimates o f ' b ' was almost Identical and was less t h a n 3 . The length-weight relationship of Alepes kalla a n d Atule mate studied by Reuben et. al (1992) and the 'b' values estimated were 3.2443 a n d 3.0569 respectively. In all t h e s e studies significant difference in the 'b' values between sexes were not reported, b u t Sreenlvasan (1981) observed t h a t i n d e t e r m i n a t e a n d a d u l t s of D.dayi dif- fered significantly at Vizhlnjam.

Food and feeding

The studies conducted so far reveal t h a t these fishes are generally pelagic c a r n i v o r e s feeding m a i n l y on f i s h e s a n d c r u s t a c e a n s . T h e a c c o u n t by Kuthalingam (1955) on the feeding h a b i t s of Caranx djedaba from Madras coast is the first of t h e kind on carangld species. He observed t h a t t h e s e fishes feed less during the i m m a t u r e stages t h a n when they are m a t u r e . But according to Slvakami (1990) it h a d lower s t o m a c h volume d u r i n g breeding period a n d the fish within a length range of 150-199 and 2 4 0 - 3 1 9 m m showed preference for y o u n g fish while t h o s e in t h e 2 0 0 - 2 3 9 m m r a n g e relished ostracods a n d other c r u s t a c e a n s . According to V e n k a t a r a m a n (1960) c r u s t a - c e a n s formed t h e major food of t h e species.

Af.cordyla, a c c o r d i n g to K u t h a l i n g a m (1959), Is a c a r n i v o r e , feeding mostly on c r u s t a c e a n s . The early p o s t - l a r v a of t h i s s p e c i e s b e g i n s on a diet of copepod n a u p l i i a n d diatoms b u t g r a d u a l l y c h a n g e s over to larger pelagic o r g a n i s m s a s it grows a n d finally s u b s i s t s on p l a n k t o n i c a s well a s n e k t o n i c o r g a n i s m s . S r e e n l v a s a n (1974) observed t h a t t h e i n t e n s i t y of feeding de- c r e a s e d with the a d v a n c e m e n t of m a t u r i t y arid it w a s h i g h e r d u r i n g n i g h t t h a n by day. It h a s b e e n generally a c c e p t e d by all t h a t t h i s fish preferred fish i t e m s especially Stolephorus s p p . t h o u g h c r u s t a c e a n s were also found In t h e s t o m a c h .

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

Decapterus russellt Is a l s o a p e l a g i c c a r n i v o r e a n d a c c o r d i n g t o Basheeruddln and Nayar (1962) the young ones of the size 4-12 cm feed mainly on c r u s t a c e a n s like Acetes a n d copepods. Sreenlvasan (1979) noticed t h a t the a d u l t s of t h i s species prefer fishes like Stolephorus s p p . , Leiognathus s p p . and Sardinella s p p . while the small fishes preyed mostly u p o n c r u s t a c e a n s . He observed t h a t a t Vlzhlnjam this species was feeding actively during pre and post-monsoon m o n t h s b u t poorly d u r i n g monsoon and t h a t neither the stage of m a t u r i t y nor t h e time of t h e day h a d m u c h influence on feeding.

According to Tandon (1960b,c) S.leptolepis is a carnivore feeding on c r u s - t a c e a n s , fishes, algae a n d d i a t o m s . Though t h e r e is no change in t h e food of this species in different stages of m a t u r i t y it showed indications of cessation of feeding during night. Tandon (1960b) studied the food of C.sexfaciatus and C.melampygus also and compared it with t h a t of S.leptolepis. According to him both these species devoured fishes and the former devoured Anchoviella s p p . while the latter preferred Leiognathus s p p . M e e n a k s h l s u n d a r a m a n d G n a n a m u t h u (1968) also noticed t h a t Anchoviella s p p . is the preferred food of C.sexfaciatus.

Caranx mate ( =Atule mate) is another carnivorous carangld feeding chiefly on planktonlc c r u s t a c e a n s . According to Kuthallngam (1959) t h i s fish feeds t h r o u g h o u t Its life on planktonlc Crustacea t h o u g h they also feed on n u m e r - ous clupeoid larvae. B a s h e e r u d d l n and n a y a r (1962) also observed t h e Juve- niles of S.mate of the size 2-12 cm feed mainly on c r u s t a c e a n s .

The feeding habits of Alectis indicus, Carangoides armatus, C.malabaricus, Caranx carangus, Chorinemus tolu and Trachtnotus blochii were studied by B a s h e e r u d d l n a n Nayar (1962), who found t h a t t h e s e are mainly carnivores feeding on c r u s t a c e a n s a n d Juvenile fishes. According to R e u b e n (1968) C.malabaricus along V l s a k h a p a t n a m Is a carnivore and column feeder. H a m s a and Kasim (1989) noticed t h a t the food of a d u l t C.carangus above 150 mm is fish followed by c r u s t a c e a n s , b u t the young ones u p t o 149 mm s u s t a i n e d only on p r a w n s . T h i s w a s in a g r e e m e n t with t h e o b s e r v a t i o n m a d e by B a s h e e r u d d l n a n d Nayar (1962) who noticed t h a t the juveniles of C.carangus from Madras fed exclusively on stomatopod larvae, other c r u s t a c e a n s and t u b i c u l o u s polychaetes. The food of Chorinemus lysen, according to J a m e s (1964), comprised Lucifer and juvenile fishes especially Leiognathus s p p .

A detailed study on the food of Caranx kalla by Kagwade (1967) revealed

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Carangld resources of tndla t h a t the a d u l t of the species Is a p l a n k t o n feeder (pelagic c r u s t a c e a n s a n d molluscan post-larvae) b u t the Juveniles fed also on diatoms a n d dinoflagellates In addition to the zooplankton. He noticed t h a t the r a t e of feeding is low dur- ing t h e peak breeding period. Similar b e h a v i o u r was observed in Atropus atropus, a pelagic carnivore, by Raje (1994) along Veraval coast. According to V e n k a t a r a m a n (1960) p r a w n s a n d copepods c o m p r i s e d t h e m a i n food of C.kalla.

All t h e s e s t u d i e s clearly Indicate t h a t the caranglds are generally pelagic carnivores feeding mainly on pelagic c r u s t a c e a n s , small fishes, molluscan larvae, etc. Occasional occurrence of p l a n t material w a s also noticed In the diet of a few species. Caranglds are generally c o n t i n u o u s feeders b u t d i u r n a l and s e a s o n a l variations in the feeding h a b i t s do occur In certain species.

Size and age of m a t u r i t y

The sizes at first maturity of a few species of caranglds have been worked out. It Includes C.kalla, M.cordyla, D.dayi, S.leptolepis, A.djedaba, C.carangus, A.mate and A.atropus. The r e s u l t s of these s t u d i e s by different a u t h o r s are p r e s e n t e d In Table 6.

Kagwade (1968 b) observed t h a t in C.kalla 50% of the females m a t u r e d first at the size of 124 mm total length a n d the condition factor recorded the minimum value a t a length of 122 mm for the females a n d 117 mm for the males when they are considered m a t u r e for the first time. The size of first m a t u r i t y of this species noticed by Reuben et al (1992) is slightly higher (129 mm) t h a n t h a t observed by Kagwade (1968 b) a n d It a t t a i n s t h e age of 1.7 y e a r s a t t h i s time.

In the case of M.cordyla, Sreenivasan (1978) observed t h a t b o t h the sexes a t t a i n m a t u r i t y a t a m i n i m u m length of 250 mm a n d 50% become ma- t u r e a t 2 7 0 mm when it a t t a i n s 1 year of age. B u t according to R e u b e n et al (1992) the size and age of first m a t u r i t y are 250 mm a n d 1.8 y e a r s respec- tively.

According to Murty (1991) D.russelli a t t a i n s first m a t u r i t y at 150 mm when the fish is 0.88 year of age w h e r e a s Reuben et al (1992) are of opinion t h a t the fish m a t u r e s at the size of 137 mm when it is 1.36 y e a r s old along the east coast a n d t h e n o r t h w e s t coasts Indicating a slower growth r a t e , a n d 1.03 years along the s o u t h w e s t coast.

^333"

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Marine Flgherie» Research and Management

T a n d o n (1961 b) observed t h a t in S.leptolepis the males m a t u r e slightly earlier t h a n the females and all the males and females above 110 mm were m a t u r e . But according to Reuben et al (1992) this fish m a t u r e s at a still smaller size of 88-101 mm when the age is 0.72-0.85 year.

Spawning and r e c r u i t m e n t

The spawning h a b i t s and s e a s o n s of some common species of carangids occurring along the coast of India have been studied by different workers b a s e d on the gonadlal maturity, ovadiametre distribution, larval occurrence a n d r e c r u i t m e n t size a n d s e a s o n s . The r e s u l t s are t a b u l a t e d in Table 6.

It could be noticed t h a t most of the carangids spawn twice in a pro- longed spawning s e a s o n . Restricted spawning was noticed in A.atropus by Reuben etal(1992). Raje (1994) observed t h a t the ripe speciemens of A.atropus are available for the major p a r t of the year at Veraval, which suggest t h a t the species h a s a prolonged spawning season with two p e a k s , b u t a d m i t s t h a t further investigations are needed in t h i s regard.

The workers on S.leptolepis agree t h a t the species s p a w n s twice in a year, d u r i n g J a n u a r y - M a r c h a n d July-October. According to Reuben et al (1992) t h e Intensive spawning is In October and a n o t h e r less intensive one in J u l y . T a n d o n (1962 a) observed t h a t the females dominated generally b u t during spawning s e a s o n they mix almost equally (M:F=1:1).

It Is generally accepted t h a t M.cordyla h a s a prolonged spawning season b u t the individual fish breeds only once. Sreenivasan (1978) found t h a t at VIzhlnJam it s p a w n s intensely d u r i n g the monsoon, beyond 5 km from the fishery belt a n d the probable time of spawning is night. Bapat et al (1982) also agree t h a t the fish had a prolonged spawning s e a s o n b u t the peak spawn- ing takes place d u r i n g winter (December-February). They also noticed t h a t the males generally dominated in J a n u a r y - M a y , August and November; fe- males in J u l y & December and the sexes were equal in J u n e . According to SivakamI (1995) the overall dominance of females In the population was evi- d e n t a t Cochin area. While studying the fish larvae In the plankton along the s o u t h - w e s t coast of India Premaletha (1993) noticed t h a t the larval concen- tration of the species was maximum along the shelf edge off Calicut area, followed by Karwar, Cochin and Quilon a r e a s , indicating these a s the spawn- ing g r o u n d s . The p r o b a b l e b r e e d i n g g r o u n d of t h e species, according to SivakamI (1995), Is towards the n o r t h e r n belt n e a r Calicut with moderate

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Carangld reaourceg of India Intensity a t Kochi.

A prolonged spawning season extending from F e b r u a r y to November was observed in the case of D.dayi by Sreenlvasan (1981) a t Vlzhlnjam b u t at Kakinada, Murty (1991) noticed t h a t the fish spawns twice in a season. Reuben etal (1992) also observed t h a t the individuals of the species released the eggs in two s p u r t s . P r e m a l a t h a (1993) opined t h a t males were d o m i n a n t in the catch a n d the concentration of larvae were more from Qullon to Capecomerin r e g i o n a n d t h e i r o c c u r r e n c e w a s m a x i m u m d u r i n g May to N o v e m b e r . Sreenlvasan (1981) expressed the view t h a t at Vlzhlnjam the species s p a w n s at night in the i n s h o r e waters.

In the case of C.kalla , Kagwade (1968b) observed t h a t t h e individual fish h a s one s h o r t spawning period, b u t the species a s a whole w a s found to s p a w n a l l r o u n d t h e y e a r w i t h two p e a k s , t h e m a j o r o n e d u r i n g D e c e m b e r - J a n u a r y a n d a minor one d u r i n g M a y - J u n e . Reuben et al. (1992) also observed similar behaviour along t h e s o u t h - w e s t coast b u t t h e p e a k s noticed were slightly different, the p r o n o u n c e d one being slightly earlier (Oc- tober) a n d the less pronounced one slightly late (July). Kagwade (1968b) ob- served t h a t t h e females were d o m i n a n t in smaller size-groups a n d males in the higher size g r o u p s . However it w a s nearly 50:50 d u r i n g t h e m o n t h s of J u n e , August and October of some y e a r s .

A.djedaba h a s a prolonged breeding s e a s o n from J u l y to November a n d releases two batches of eggs during the period (Sivakaml. 1990). Reuben et al . (1992) also observed two p e a k s , a major one in December followed by a less p r o n o u n c e d one in September. The species showed p r e d o m i n a n c e of males in most of the m o n t h s a t Cochin (Sivakaml 1990).

Two spawning periods were observed In A.mate (Reuben et al. 1992) and Chorinemus lysan (James 1964). In the latter species the sexes were found to be equally distributed in the commercial catch.

The r e c r u i t m e n t periods of the species studied by Reuben et al (1992) are p r e s e n t e d in Table 6.

F e c u n d i t y

The fecundity of S.leptolepis (Tandon, 1962a), Chorinemus lysan (James 1964), C.kalla (Kagwade, 1968b), M.cordyla (Sreenlvasan, 1978, Sivakaml,

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Marine FUheries Rci«earch and Management

1995), D.dayi (Sreenivasan. 1981) and A.atropus (Raje, 1994) were studied and the results are t a b u l a t e d in Table 6.

Table : 6 Spawning biology of some carangid species Author

1

Species and Locality 2

Spawlning season 3

Recruitment period 4

Size&

age at first maturity 5 .

Fecundity

6 Sreenlvasan (1978) Megalaspis Cordyla Apr.-Feb.

vlzhlnjam Peak:MaytoAug.- Bapatetal. (1987) Megalaspis cordj/la Aug. to Apr./May -

North-west coast Peak: Dec.-Feb.

Premalatha (1993) Megalaspis Cordyla Apr. to May &

South-west coast Oct.-Nov.

Slvakainl(1995) Megalaspis Cordyla Apr.-Feb.

Cochin Peak:May-Aug.

270mni 1.0 Year

Reuben et al. (1992) Megalaspis Cordyla

E^stcoast Mar.-May North-west coast July

South-west coast Jan.

Apr.-May Jan.-Oct.

Jul.-Apr.

250inm 1.8 Year

251-260mm

91854 to 324292

91854 to 324292

Sreenlvasan (1981) Decopterusdoyi Feb.-Nov.

Vizhinjam Peak:Feb.-Apr.

Decapterus russelli Dec. to Aug.- Kakinda

Murty(1991)

Reuben etal. (1992) Decapterus russelli

150mm

Premalatha (1993) Decapterus russelli May South-west cost

Bapat et.al. (1987) Trochurus trachurusJan.

Gujarat

James (1964) Chorinemus lysan Apr. to Aug.,

"336^

130-139mm 107640

East coast North-west coast South-west coast

^ r . & Aug.

Dec&Aug.

Dec&Sep

Jul.-Nov.

Jun. & Jan.

Jan. &July.

137mm 1.36 year 1.03 year

16388 to

8-35 lakhs

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Carangid regources of India

Kagwade (1968)

1

Reubenetal.(1992)

Rameswaram Caranx kalla Calicut 2

Alepes kalia South-west coast

Dec.-Jaa &

May. to June 3

Oct.-Jul.

Dec.-Jan.

Jul-Aug 4 Apr.-Jan.

124mm

5 129mm 1.7 year

eggs 30000 to 75000 eggs 6 -

Prabhu (1956) Seloroidesleptolqiis Feb. and Mandapam Jul. to Aug.

Tandon(1962) Selaroidestepttriepis Jan.-Mar. &

Mandapam Jul.-Oct.

Rebenetal (1992) SelaroufcsleptoIeptsOct.-Jul. Jan.&Oct.

Tamil Nadu

Reuben etaK 1992) Atropus atropus Nov.-Dec.

North-west coast

Apr.

Raje(1994) , Atropus atropus Prolonged with tow- veraval peaks

Reuben etal. (1992) Cororucorongus Nov. & Apr. Feb.-Mar.

Tamil Nadu & Sep.

Sivakaml(1990) Alepes 4}odaba Jun. toNov.

Cochin

Reuben etal. (1992) Alepes 4/adaba Dec. & Sep. Jun.&

Kerala Mar.

Reuben et al. (1992) Atule mate Apr.-May &Jun.-Feb.

139mm

101mm

88-lOlmm 0.72-0.85 Year 210mm

373750

0!65year 210 mm

220mm 1.05 year 180-189mm

180-189mm

Jul. & Oct.

31432 to 372344 -

-

-

172mm

Kerala 0.83 year

Eggs and larval s t u d i e s

The eggs, larvae a n d Juvenile s t a g e s of some c a r a n g i d species from In- dian w a t e r s have b e e n described by earlier w o r k e r s . The species s t u d i e d a r e C.kalla (Bapat a n d P r a s a d , 1952), C.leptolepis a n d C a r a n x s p p . (Bapat, 1955), M.cordyla (Kuthalingam, 1959 a n d P r e m a l a t h a , 1988), C.mate (Kuthallngam, 1959), C.malabaricus, C.carangus (Rao a n d Girijavallabhan, 1973), Alectis ciliaris, A.indicus a n d Atropus Atropus (Premalatha, 1991). These s t u d i e s were

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Marine Fisheries Research and Management

b a s e d o n t h e p l a n k t o n s a m p l e s a n d t h e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of e g g s a n d l a r v a e of d i f f e r e n t s i z e s / a g e s t h a t h a v e b e e n d e s c r i b e d . T h e s p e c i e s , a r e a of c o l l e c t i o n a n d t h e s i z e / a g e of l a r v a e d e s c r i b e d a r e p r e s e n t e d i n T a b l e 7 .

B a p a t a n d P r a s a d ( 1 9 5 2 ) c o l l e c t e d y o u n g o n e s of S.leptolepis w h i c h s c h o o l s r o u n d l a r g e m e d u s a e . K u t h a l l n g a m ( 1 9 5 9 ) c o l l e c t e d l a r v a e f r o m p l a n k - t o n , r e a r e d t h e m t o t h e i d e n t i f i a b l e s i z e . H e a l s o s t u d i e d t h e i r d i e t h a b i t s . T h e d e s c r i p t i o n s b y P r e m a l a t h a ( 1 9 8 8 ) w e r e b a s e d o n t h e p l a n k t o n c o l l e c t i o n s of U N D P / F A O / P e l a g i c F i s h e r i e s P r o j e c t d u r i n g 1 9 7 1 - 7 5 p e r i o d a l o n g t h e s o u t h - w e s t c o a s t of I n d i a .

Table 7: Descriptions available on the larvae of carangid species

Author Species Locality Stages described

Bapat and Prasad Caranx kalla Bupat H 955) Caranx leptolepis

Caranx sp.

Kuthallngam (1959) Megaiaspiscordyla

PalkBay Gulf of Mannar

& Palk Bay Madras coast

Premalatha (1959) Megaiaspiscordyla South-west coast

Kuthalingam(1959) Caranxmate

Premalatha (1991) Alectis cilfaris Atectis (ndfcus Atropus atropus Rao and Girija- Carongoldes vallabhan (1973) malabarfcus

Caranx carangus

Larvae of the sizes 8.23mm, 11.75ram, 13.5mm, 21mm, 31.0mm & 55.0mm.

Egg, newly hatched larvae, one day, tow day & three day old larvae.

Egg, newly hatched larvae.

Egg, just hatched larvae, 24 Hrs., 48 Hrs, 54 Hrs., 4th day, 7th day, 10th day, 14th day & 33rd day old larvae and juveniles.

Larvae of the sizes 2.2, 3.7, 5.1,7, 8, 10.3,14 and 19mm; seasonal abundance and distribution of larvae described.

Egg, just hatched larvae, 24 Hrs., 48 Hrs., 72 Hrs 13th day, 18th day, 27th day,

and 38th day old larvae juveniles.

South-west coast Larvae of sizes 4.3., 5,6,6.8& 15mmare described.

Lavae of the sizes 2.7, 3.4,7 & 15mm are described.

Larvae of the sizes 4, 6.8 & 10.2 mm described Madras (Plankton) Egg, newly hatched larvae, 1-day, 2-day

and 3-day old pro-larvae described.

Egg, newly hatched larvae, 1 -day and 2-day old pro-larvae described.

Madras coast

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Carangid resources of India Population d y n a m i c s and s t o c k a s s e s s m e n t

S t u d i e s on the population dynamics a n d stock a s s e s s m e n t of carangid species are very few and are limited to those by Murty (1991) on D.russelli from Kaklnada; Reuben et al (1992) on 8 species namely M.cordyla, D.russelli (both from 3 r e g i o n s viz. e a s t , n o r t h - w e s t & s o u t h - w e s t ) ; C.carangus.

S.leptolepis (from Tamil N a d u a n d P o n d l c h e r y region), A.atropus (from n o r t h - w e s t coast); A.kalla (from south-west coast), and A.djedaba a n d A.mate (from Kerala coast); Kasim a n d Hamsa (1994) on C.leptolepis a n d C.carangus (from Tutlcorin). The growth a n d mortality p a r a m e t e r s estimated for the spe- cies are p r e s e n t e d in Table 8 along with the MSY a n d exploitation levels.

Table:8 Estimated Mortality Parameters and status of the exploited stocks of certain carangid species by different workers

Authors

Murty Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Reuben et al.

Kasim&Hamsa i^an&Hamsa

year Species

1991 DecopterusmsseiU 1992 Decapterusmssell

1992 Megalasfismrdyla

1992 Caranxcarangus 1992 Atropusatropus 1992 Alepeskaila 1992 Alepesd/adaba 1992 Atulmqte

1992 Selaroldeskptolepis 1994 Caqranxleptdlepts 1994 Canmxcaiangus

Locality

Kakinada East coast North-west coast South-west coast East coast North-west coast South-west coast Tamil nadu &

Pondichery North-west coast Sout-west coast Kerala coast Kerala coast Tamil nadu &

Pondichery Tuticorln Tutlcorin

Annual mortality rates Total

(Z) 6.65 2.83 2.85 3.88 3.08 5.12 2.85 4.51 6.84 , 3.08 5.15 3.53 4.88 6.10 6.54

Natural (M) 1.90 1.35 0.83 1.26 0.84 1.04 0.93 0.95 1.26 1.40 0.99 1.22 1.35 2.19 1.18

Fishing (F1.

4.75 1.48 2.02 2.62 2.24 4.08 1.92 3.56 5.58 1.60 ' 4.16

2.31 3.53 3.91 5.36

MSYfT)

2800 3500 22200 1060 4727 8400 2600 953 14500 7800 4300 6600

Level of exploitation

Optimum Optimum Optimum Optimum Optimum Optimum Over Over Under Over Optimum Over

The yield per recruit analysis of D.russelli by Murty (1991) from the trawl landings at Kakinada showed t h a t with tc above 0.6 the Y ^ / R increased with increased effort (F), b u t does not reach the m a x i m u m . The highest Yw/R.

however is obtained with tc at 0.6 only. According to him the length at first c a p t u r e dc) estimated a n d time of c a p t u r e (tc) calculated were 158 mm a n d 0.98 year.

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Marine Flsherieg Re«earch and Management

The mortality p a r a m e t e r s of C.leptolepis a n d C.carangus of the Tutlcorln a r e a were estimated by Kaslm a n d H a m s a (1994). They observed t h a t the former species is not exposed to higher fishing p r e s s u r e a s in the case of the latter by trawl net and opined t h a t the effort of trawl net may be increased further, w h e r e a s in the case of C.carangus further increase In trawl net effort may not be favorable u n l e s s the age a t first c a p t u r e is Increased by i n c r e a s - ing the cod-end m e s h size, which is not practical. However, exploitation of t h i s species by drift glUnet is recommended, provided the m e s h size is in- creased to e n h a n c e the age at first c a p t u r e .

Banerji (1973) assessed the stock of caranglds In Indian waters and stated t h a t the then fishing intensity in all the s t a t e s was exerting p r e s s u r e on the coastal s t o c k s of c a r a n g l d s . It was estimated t h a t the expected potential s u s - tainable yield for the whole of the country w a s not more t h a n 2 5 0 0 0 t o n n e s .

Rao et al (1977) studied the stock of h o r s e - mackerel comprising the t r u e horse- mackerel [M.cordyla], the s c a d s (Decapterus spp.) a n d the trevellies (Caranx spp.) by conducting resource survey along the coast from Retnaglrl to the Gulf of Mannar during the 1972-75 period. They are of opinion t h a t the average s t a n d i n g stock along the project a r e a w a s of t h e m a g n i t u d e of 141000 t o n n e s which was considerably higher t h a n the t h e n all India yield. The aver- age s t a n d i n g stock was estimated to be in the order of 140000 t o n n e s . They also observed t h a t the average stock was the h i g h e s t along t h e Kerala coast (70259 tonnes) followed by s o u t h e r n Tamil Nadu (56246 tonnes), K a r n a t a k a (20202 tonnes) a n d s o u t h e r n M a h a r a s h t r a (12852 tonnes).

The s t u d i e s by Reuben et al. (1992) showed t h a t M.cordyla along the e a s t a n d n o r t h w e s t c o a s t s ; D.russelli a l o n g t h e n o r t h - w e s t c o a s t , a n d C.carangus and S.leptolepis along the Tamil Nadu coast are being exploited expending m u c h more effort t h a n required to realize the MSY. But D.russelli along the east a n d the south-west coasts a n d A.kalla and A. djedaba along the Kerala coast can be exploited with Increased effort of trawl net to e n h a n c e their production to MSY level. A similar condition is exhibited by M.cordyla along south-west coast for drift gillnet and A.mate along Kerala coast for hooks

& line. Sivakami et al. (1996) reported t h a t the potential yield o f c a r a n g i d along the EEZ of India Is a r o u n d 94971 t o n n e s .

All t h e s e s t u d i e s , except t h a t of Banerjl (1973), positively Indicate t h a t most of the carangid species are either u n d e r exploited or optimally exploited

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Carangid resources of India and h e n c e there Is scope for Increasing the production especially along the s o u t h - w e s t coast a n d the Gulf of Mannar, a s stated by Rao et al (1977).

Conservation and m a n a g e m e n t

The available information on the population c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s a n d stock a s s e s s m e n t on some commercially important species have shown t h a t most of them are optimally or under-exploited. Over exploitation exists only in the case of S.leptolepis a n d C.carangus along Tamil Nadu coast; A.atropus along the north-west coast a n d A.djedaba along the Kerala coast. Otherwise, the caranglds a s a whole is a n u n d e r exploited resource with great potential. Regu- lation of glllnet effort a n d m e s h size h a s been recommended for the horse mackerel fishery a s it exerts heavy fishing p r e s s u r e on fishes of higher size groups, especially above 240 mm size.

A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

The a u t h o r is grateful to Dr. M. DevaraJ, Director, Central Marine Fish- eries Research Institute, Cochin and to Dr. N.G.K.Filial, Head, Pelagic Fisher- ies Division, CMFRI, Cochin, for their e n c o u r a g e m e n t a n d to Dr. P.P.Pillai, Principal Scientist, a n d Shri A.A. J a y a p r a k a s h , Senior Scientist, CMFRI, Cochin for their help a n d valuable suggestions for the Improvement of the m a n u s c r i p t .

References

Banerjl, S.K. 1973. An assessment of the exploited pelagic fisheries pf the Indian seas. Eroc. Symposium of the Living Resources of the seas around India, CMFRI, Cochin : 114-136.

Bapat. S.V. 1955. A preliminary study of the pelagic fish eggs and larvae of the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Bay. Indian J. Fish., 2(l):231-255.

Bapat.S.V, V.M.Deshmukh, B.Krlshnamoorthi, C.Muthiah, P.V.Kagwade C.P.Ramamirtham, K.J.Mathew, S.Krishna Pillal and C.Mukundan. 1982. Fishery resources of the exclusive economic zone of the northwest coast of India. Bull. Cent, mar. Fish. Res. Inst. 33: 1-86.

Bapat, S.V. and R.R. Prasad. 1952. On some developmental stages of Caranx kalla Cuv. and Val. J. Bombay Nat. Hist. Soc, 51 (1): 111-115.

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Marine Fisheriei Re»earch and Management

Basheeruddln.S. and Nayar K.Nagappan. 1962. A preliminary study on the juvenile fishes of the coastal waters off Madras city. Indian J. Fish., 8(1): 169-188.

Chacko.P.I. and M.J.Mathew. 1955. Biology and fisheries of the horsemackerel of the west coast of Madras s t a t e . Cont. Mar. Biol. st. West Hill, Malabar coast. 2:

1-12.

Chidambaram,K. 1943. On two types of Horse- mackerel eggs found in the plankton from the sea opposite to West Hill (Malabar). Proc. 30^^ Indian Sci. Congr.

(Calcutta), p t . 3 Abstract 62.

Datar.G.G. 1954. Food and feeding h a b i t s of Caranx rottleri (Cuv. & Val.). Proc. 41^^

Ind. Set Cong. Assoc. (3), (Abstract), 181.

Delsman, H.C. 1926a. Fish eggs and larvae from t h e J a v a s e a . 5 . Caranx kurra, macrosoma And crumenophthalmus. Treubia, 8 (3-4) : 199-211.

Delsman, H.C. 1926b. Fish eggs and larvae from the J a v a sea. 6. On a few carangid eggs and larvae. Treubia, 8 (3-4): 2 1 2 - 2 1 8 .

Devanesan, D.W. and Chidambaram,K. 1941. On two kinds of eggs hatched out in the laboratory of West Hill Biological Station, Calicut. Current Sci., 10(5):

2 5 9 - 2 6 1 .

Devanesan.D.W. and S.Varadarajan. 1942. On t h e hatching of fish eggs in 1940-41 in the laboratory of West Hill Biological Station, Calicut. Proc. 29^^ Indian Sci. Congr. Assoc, Baroda, Abstract: 157-158.

Dhulkhed, M.H. and G.G.Annigirl. 1994. MSY levels for some commercially important exploitable fish r e s o u r c e s of north coast of Karnataka, India. J. mar. biol.

Ass. India, 3 6 (1& 2): 19-22.

FAO, 1984. FAO species identijication sheets for fishery purposes. Western Indian Ocean.

(Edt. W.Fischer and G.Blanchi). FAO of the United Nations, Rome.

Gopakumar.G. and K.T.Thomas. 1 9 9 1 . On t h e emerging fishery of mackerel scad, Decapterus macarellus from Vlzhinjam. Mar. Fish. Infor. Serv., T & E Ser.

No.113: 16-17.

Gopinath.K. 1946. Notes on t h e larval and post-larval stages offish found along the Trivandrum caost. Proc. Nat. Inst. Sci. India. 12 (1):7-21.

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Carangld resources of India Hamsa K.M.H.Ameer and Kasim H.Mohamad. 1989. Some a s p e c t s of morphometric re-

lationship and food and feeding in Caranx carangus (Bloch) from Tutlcorin waters (Gulf of Mannar). Indian J. Fish., 36(3): 205-210.

James.P.S.B.R. 1964. Some observations on the fishery of Chorfnemus lysan of t h e Rameswaram Island with notes on Its biology. Indian J. Fish.. 11(1):

2 6 8 - 2 7 6 .

J o e l . J . J . , R.BhaskaranAcharlandT.G.ViJayaWarrler. 1987. An account on light fishing for the carangid Selar crumenophthalmus. Mar. Fish. Infor. Serv., T & E ser. No.78: 19.

Jones, S. 1960. Notes on animal association. 2. The Scyphomedusa AcromttusJIagellatus Stiasny and young Selarotdes leptolepls {Cuv.& Val.) with t h e latter form- ing v a n g u a r d . J. mar. biol. Assoc. India. 2(1): 51-52.

Kagwade.V.N. 1965. Preliminary observations on the biology of "Horse Mackerel" Caranx kalla (Cuvler and Valenciennes). Set Cult, 3 1 (4): 2 0 7 - 2 0 8 .

Kagwade.V.N. 1967. Food and feeding h a b i t s of t h e horsemackerel, Caranx kalla. In- dian J. Fish.. 14(l&2):85-96.

Kagwade.V.N. 1968a. Age and growth of t h e horse-mackerel Caranx kalla (Cuvler and V a l e n c i e n n e s ) . / n d ( a n J. Fish., 15(1&2): 188-197.

Kagwade.V.N. 1968b. Maturation and spawning of t h e horsemackerel, Caranx kalla (Cuvler and Valenciennes). Indian J. Fish.. 15(l&2):207-220.

Kasim,H.M. and Hamsa K.M.S.Ameer. 1994. Carangid fishery and population dynam- ics of component species Caranx leptolepis and Caranx carangus from Tuticorin coast. J. mar. biol. Asso. India, 36(1&2):63-71.

Kasim,H.Mohamad and Khan M.Z. 1986. A preliminary account of t h e gill net fishery off Veraval during 1979-82. Indian J.Fish., 33(2): 155-162.

Kuthalingam, M.D.K. 1955. The food of t h e horse-mackerel. Current Science. 2 4 : 4 1 6 - 4 1 7 .

KuthaHngam.M.D.K. 1959. A contribution to t h e life histories and feeding h a b i t s of horse-mackerels, Megalaspis cordyla (Linn.)and Caranx mate (Guv. and Val.) and notes on t h e effect of absence of light on t h e development and

c:;343^

References

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