Indigenous fishing gears of the Pulicat lagoon of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

A study was conducted on the design and the operational details of fishing gears and craft operated from 54 fishing villages bordering the Pulicat lagoon, one of the important lagoons of India (lat. 13.5593° N, long. 80.2098° E). Information was collected from 320 respondents covering a minimum of 5-7 fishermen from each fishing village. The investigation revealed the existence of 26 types of traditional fishing gear belonging to 15 categories. The pattern of operation of fishing gears used by fishermen was as follows: stake nets (33%), drift gillnets (24%), set gill nets (19%), drive-in nets (14%), and other gears (<10%). Among the 26 types of fishing gears analyzed, 7 gears, viz., hand-lift net, crab fishing gear, lighted crab scoop net, prawn fishing gear, wooden cover pot, cradle trap, and mono line with multiple hooks, were found to be eco-friendly. Further, the multi-stick drag net was found to be a detrimental fishing gear as its operation leads to indiscriminate fishing with a high contribution of juveniles fishes with higher growth potential. The study revealed that the fishing pattern with traditional gears being practiced in the Pulicat lagoon might be continued without further introducing detrimental fishing gear such as gill nets or mini trawl that are operated adjacent to this lagoon in the sea to sustain the fishery of this lagoon.