AN ASSESSMENT OF MARINE PRAWN FISHERY RESOURCES OF KANYAKUMARI DISTRICT
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SOUTH WEST COAST OF INDIA::by
M . J . George E K.H. Mohamed
C e n t r a l Marine F i s h e r i e s Research S u b s t a t i o n , Ernakulam-6, K e r a i a , I n d i a
ABSTRACT
The prawn f i s h e r y o f Kanyakumari D i s t r i c t which a c c o u n t s f o r about 500 t o n n e s o f prawns a y e a r i s e x c l u s i v e l y c o n s t i t u t e d by l a r g e - s i z e d f i r s t and second y e a r c l a s s e s o f a s i n g l e s p e c i e s o f penaeid prawn
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Penueus indicus. The f i s h i n g season e x t e n d s throughout t h e monsoon p e r i o d when prawn f i s h e r y i n o t h e r a r e a s o f west c o a s t o f In- d i a i s i n a c t i v e . The growth s t u d i e s i n d i c a t e d a monthly growth r a t e o f 3 mm i n males and 5 mm i n females, The r e c r u i t m e n t t o t h i s f i s h e r y is ap- p a r e n t l y t a k i n g p l a c e from t h e f i s h i n g grounds o f f t h e Kerala c o a s t ,INTRODUCTION
The r e c e n t developments i n t h e e x p l o i t a t i o n o f f i s h e r y r e s o u r c e s i n I n d i a have shown t h a t t h e South west c o a s t o f I n d i a s u p p o r t s a v e r y r i c h prawn f i s h e r y . The s o u t h e r n l i m i t of t h i s f i s h i n g a r e a was g e n e r a l - l y c o n s i d e r e d t o b e Trivandrum, t h e a r e a s f u r t h e r s o u t h b e i n g of d i f - f e r e n t e c o l o g i c a l s i t u a t i o n . The c o a s t l i n e and s e a bottom o f t h i s s o u t h e r n r e g i o n a r e g e n e r a l l y rocky and sandy with o c c a s i o n a l p a t c h e s o f c o r a l s i n t h e d e e p e r r e g i o n s . P r a c t i c a l l y no i n f o r m a t i o n was a v a i l - a b l e r e g a r d i n g t h e indigenous prawn f i s h e r y of t h i s r e g i o n , b u t w i t h t h e development of f r o z e n prawn e x p o r t t r a d e i n K e r a l a s i z a b l e q u a n t i t i e s o f l a r g e prawns s t a r t e d coming from h e r e , The C e n t r a l Marine F i s h e r i e s Research I n s t i t u t e t h e r e f o r e s t a r t e d a p r o j e c t t o a s s e s s t h e prawn r e s o u r c e s o f t h i s r e g i o n i n 1959. The r e s u l t s o f t h i s p r o j e c t a r e r e p o r t e d h e r e .
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P u b l i s h e d w i t h t h e permission of t h e D i r e c t o r , C e n t r a l Marine F i s h e r i e s Research I n s t i t u t e , Mandapam Camp.Proc. I n d o - P a c i f i c F i s h , Cour?., 1 2 ( I I ) : 210-219.
