Status of Indian tropical tuna fisheries in 2018

Small-scale and artisanal sectors largely contribute to the Indian tropical tuna fishery. This fishery deploys both mechanized and motorized boats using a variety of gears including gillnet, longline, pole and line, troll and small purseseine. Pole and line fishery is restricted to the Lakshadweep archipelago, wherein artisanal fishermen target surface swimming skipjack tuna schools. The status of tuna and other large pelagics stocks in the Indian seas are constantly monitored employing four research vessels of Fishery Survey of India (FSI). The total catch of tropical tunas by Indian fishery during 2018 was 74,486.19 t. Yellowfin tuna was the principal species caught (50.33% of the total catch), while skipjack (48.85%) and bigeye (0.82%) were the other species of tropical tunas caught by this fishery. Gillnet remained the main gear contributing the tropical tuna catch (37.99%), followed by handline (15.97), pole and line (15.89), longline (11.62) and other gears. More than 60% of the catch was from the west coast (FAO Area 51), while the remaining catch originated from the east coast (FAO Area 57) of India. Results of biological studies of these three species are discussed in brief.