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Observations on incidental catch of cetaceans in three landing centres along the Indian coast

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 March 2009

K.S.S.M. Yousuf ,
A.K. Anoop ,
B. Anoop ,
V.V. Afsal ,
E. Vivekanandan ,
R.P. Kumarran ,
M. Rajagopalan ,
P.K. Krishnakumar  and
P. Jayasankar
K.S.S.M. Yousuf*
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
A.K. Anoop
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
B. Anoop
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
V.V. Afsal
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
E. Vivekanandan
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
R.P. Kumarran
Affiliation:
AP 454, 22nd Street Thiruvalluvar Kudiyiruppu Anna Nagar, Chennai 600040, India
M. Rajagopalan
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
P.K. Krishnakumar
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
P. Jayasankar
Affiliation:
Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: K.S.S.M. Yousuf, Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute, Cochin 682018, India email: yusuf_vizag@hotmail.com
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Abstract

A short term survey to quantify the number of marine mammals incidentally caught, and interviews to gain perceptions of local fishers towards issues of by-catch, were conducted. A total of 44 cetaceans was recorded as incidental catches at Chennai, Kakinada and Mangalore fishing harbours during 80 days of observation. Six species of dolphins and one species of porpoise were recorded. The spinner dolphin Stenella longirostris was the most frequently caught (38.6%), followed by the finless porpoise Neophocaena phocaenoides (31.8%). Gill-nets and purse seines operated from motorized boats accounted for the entire by-catch. It is estimated that 9000–10,000 cetaceans are killed by gill-nets every year along the Indian coast. The intricacies and possibilities of reducing cetacean kills by gill-nets are discussed in this paper.

Keywords

marine mammalgill-netpurse seinefishery interactionincidental catchIndia
Type
Research Article
Information
Marine Biodiversity Records , Volume 2 , January 2009 , e64
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2009

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References

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