Status of tuna resources (oceanic & neritic) & some biological aspects of selected tuna species in India

The present status of the tuna fishery (oceanic & neritic) in Indian waters is discussed with special reference to biological details of Thunnus albacares, Thunnus obesus, Katsuwonus pelamis,Thunnus tonggol, Euthynnus affinis, Auxis rochei and Auxis thazard.. The data collected during the exploratory tuna longline fishing survey in the Indian exclusive economic zone by the Fishery Survey of India (FSI) and the data on the tuna landings by the coastal fisheries collected by the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMFRI), the Andaman & Nicobar Administration and Lakshadweep Administration are also discussed. The landings of tuna stands at 1,07,375 tonnes during 2019 which is 18% lesser than the tuna landings (1,32,474 tonnes) during 2018.The oceanic tunas contribute 56.2% followed by neritic tunas (43.7%) to the total tuna catch in India during 2019. Biological studies carried out during the past 10 years till 2019 shows significant variation in Lꝏ, growth coefficient (K) and mortality is imperative.