Operational performance and catch composition of pomfret gillnets of Maharashtra, India

The operational performance, catch composition and fishing grounds have been documented for gillnets used extensively for catching pomfrets from August 2014 to April 2015 along the Satpati coast, Maharashtra, India. The operational activities of the fishery varied monthly and seasonally; hence, parameters like distance travelled from the shore, depth of operation, colour variation of gear, mesh size, catch composition, catch per unit effort (CPUE), total catch, juvenile composition and major fishing grounds were studied. Wooden, Fibre Reinforced Plastic or plywood boats of 5 to 18 m fitted with inboard engines were used for pomfret fishing and the mean distance travelled by the vessels was 116 ± 7 km from the shore during pre-monsoon while the distance travelled was shorter during monsoon season. The mean depth of operation was 37 ± 0.26 m in monsoon and 42 ± 0.44 m in post-monsoon. The mesh size used for targeting pomfrets was 130 mm during monsoon and post-monsoon that was reduced to 110 mm during pre-monsoon. More white nets were used during monsoon and post-monsoon seasons whereas coloured nets were used during the pre-monsoon. The study revealed that monsoon was the peak season for the capture of pomfrets; seasonal trend showed that the mean CPUE was maximum in monsoon (764 ± 34 kg/fishing vessel) while the values for post-monsoon and pre-monsoon period were 335 ± 45 kg/fishing vessel and 64 ± 3 kg/fishing vessel respectively. Operational performance, season-wise species composition, juvenile composition and gillnet fishing grounds are discussed.