Bycatch in Indian trawl fisheries and some suggestions for trawl bycatch mitigation
A P Dineshbabu, Sujitha Thomas, Jose Josileen, P. T. Sarada, Lakshmi Pillai, Rekha Devi Chakraborty, Gyanranjan Dash, Anulekshmi Chellappan, Shubhadeep Ghosh, G. B. Purushottama, Rajan Kumar, M. Rajkumar, Indira Divipala, D. Nakhava Ajay, R. Ratheeshkumar, K. V. Akhilesh, V. Mahesh, Swathipriyanka Sen, Rajesh Kumar Pradhan, Shikha Rahangdale, R. Vinothkumar, Shoba Joe Kizhakudan, K. M. Rajesh, R. Narayanakumar, P. S. Swathilekshmi, S. S. Raju, G. Maheswarudu, M. Sivadas
Abstract
Globally, trawl is the major fishing gear used in marine \nfisheries and in India, it contributes to more than onethird of the marine fish production. Trawl fishing has \nbeen critically evaluated from a sustainability perspective, especially analysing its bycatch composition. Most \nof the bycatch from trawlers contains valuable edible \nspecies with high market demand. However, a portion \nof the bycatch which does not have such demand in the \nedible fish market, known as low-value bycatch (LVB), \ncontinues to be a matter of concern from an ecological and \neconomic perspective. During 2017–19, 30–60% of trawl \nlanding in India was constituted by LVB, which was \nmainly used for fishmeal preparation. To enhance the \nvalue and utility of LVB, this study explores the possibility \nof converting waste from LVB into edible resources using \npufferfish and triggerfish. It also highlights the positive \nimpact of efforts by different Government agencies for \nbycatch mitigation like the implementation of minimum \nlegal size in reducing the juvenile component in bycatch, \nwith a social survey-based account of fisher’s perceptions \nand suggestions on successful bycatch mitigation.