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Information on the abundance of resources in time and space is a prerequisite for the success of any fishing operation. Billfishes form a major constituent of Tuna longline fishery around Andaman & Nicobar Islands. The present study is an attempt to evaluate the effect of the lunar cycle and monsoon on the catch rate of billfishes. The study is based on tuna longline survey carried out by M.V. Blue Marlin, survey vessel attached to the Fishery Survey of India, Port Blair around A&N Islands. Catch rates recorded at different latitudes showed that billfishes are more abundant in upper latitude of the region.
The results of the present study indicated that there is a significant effect of the lunar cycle on the catch rate of billfishes occurring in the Andaman and Nicobar waters. However, it has been observed that the monsoon effect has no significance on the catch rates. Downward trend of year wise catch rate noticed during the study period warrant strict management measures. The effect of monsoon and the lunar cycle on Billfishes caught by tuna longline and the likely reason for that were elucidated in the text.
