Comparative footprint studies of single and multiday trawl fishing along Ratnagiri coast , Maharashtra, India

Trawl fishing is widely recognised as the most productive and industrious fishing method in the world. Due to the importance of trawl fisheries along the Ratnagiri coast of Maharashtra, the present comparative study was undertaken on single and multiday trawl fishing in the region. In this study, monthly variations in fishing depth, catch per hour (CPH), discard per hour (DPH), spatio-temporal species distribution and spatial prediction of catch-discard of 136 trawl hauls were analysed. Single and multiday trawlers were operated from 15 & DEG;53'24"N to 18 & DEG;00'36"N latitude and 72 & DEG;55'55"E to 73 & DEG;25'48"E longitude within a depth range of 10 to 64 m in the Arabian Sea. For the multiday trawlers, maximum CPH of 68.30 kg h-1 was recorded in October 2015, while single day trawlers recorded CPH of 42.70 kg h-1 in November 2015. Average DPH for multiday and single day trawlers were recorded as 7.66 and 3.84 kg h-1 respectively. The study found that CPH and DPH were significantly (p<0.05) higher in multiday trawlers than single day trawlers. Based on spatial mapping, high fishing pressure was observed in the area south-west off Ratnagiri. Our results highlighted the need for suitable strategies for conservation and management of fisheries resources to achieve long-term sustainability in the region.