Abstract:
Thalaimannar Pier, Sri Lanka was dominant with Ring net (Surukku) and Bottom-set
gillnet fisheries. Details with those fisheries were lacking in the literature. A comparative
study of both fisheries in Thalaimannar Pier was vital towards sustainable exploitation of
fishery resources. The study aims at determining Catch-Per-Unit-Effort (CPUE), catch
composition, and supply chain analysis of selected species from two fisheries last October
(2019) to early January (2020). Total catch was recorded to the nearest kilogram and
effort in-unit kilograms per square meter (kgm-2
). The total catch of fish species in ring &
gill nets was recorded. Results showed ring net catch mainly comprised of finfish
(97.8%), crustaceans (1%), mollusk (1%); 1.2% were non-target species. Bottom-set
gillnet catch comprises of crustaceans (50%), finfish (25%), mollusk (20%), and
echinoderms (1%). Portunus pelagicus was the major target species, nearly 43% of the
total catch. Out of the total, 29% of the bottom-set gillnet catch was discarded as nontarget species. Gillnet produced more non-target species. Mean CPUE (kgm-2
) and
standard deviation of ring & gill nets were 0.205 ± 0.062 and 0.0711 kgm-2 ± 0.018
respectively. CPUE for ring net increased from Late-November to Early-January; for
gillnet, it decreased from mid November to early January. Sardinella gibbosa showed
71.11% of the price difference from wholesalers to outside retailers and Pampus
argenteus (only exportable species) showed 47% of it from fishers to exporters in the
supply chain. Ring net was harmful due to comparatively high catch per unit effort which
may lead to overexploitation of commercially important fish populations. Gillnet was also
harmful due to the high catch of non-target species. The current study provides baseline
information that paves the way for sustainable exploitation of the aforementioned
fisheries.
Keywords: Ring net & Bottom-set gillnet fisheries, Catch per unit effort, By-catch
